Big Sky Wedding
by Tiffsababe
Summary: Steph & Ram are getting married in Montana. Someone is desperate to stop them, using mayhem and malice as his weapons of choice. Will their love survive? Will Steph live long enough to become Mrs.Ramsey? Babe friendly, NOT cupcake friendly. Sequalto CIBSC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character's you may recognize. I am just borrowing Steph, Ram, Ranger and the guys. Any charaters you do not recognize are mine. I do not gain anything in monetary value from these stories, although it would be nice to get paid for my writings. **

**A/N: Welcome to the sequal to Comfort in Big Sky Country. It's taking me a lot longer to write this one than the first one. I would love to see reviews, they make me do a little happy dance. So please enjoy the story.**

**Prologue**

Evan and I were engaged a few weeks ago, and time has flown by. After we flew back from Helena, Montana in the Chinook helicopter Ranger bought from the Montana Air National Guard, Evan and I were made partners in Rangeman, Inc. We were so elated, we wanted to share our good fortune with our friends, so we decided pizza and beer at Pino's was the perfect celebration. It was a perfect celebration, I confirmed my engagement to Evan, with Lula and Connie. We were giggy with excitment until Morelli arrived...

_A few weeks ago:_

Just then the room became eerily quiet, as all the men in black stood and moved around me. Evan stood as Cal whispered into his ear, a menacing look covered his face. He turned to make sure I was behind him and safe. I grabbed Lula and Connie and pulled them with me totally behind the wall of black. "Morelli must be here." I peeked nervously between the black clad bodies to see that indeed, one Jospeh Morelli had entered Pino's. He stood just in front of the Rangemen, a sneer on his face.

"Where the FUCK is she?" He snarled, "Where is Stephanie?"

I straightened my back and pushed my way to the front, stepping between Morelli and my boys. "Morelli." I said with as much annoyance as I could. "I thought I told you, I want nothing more to do with you! Back off slowly and I won't press charges again for breaking the protection orders."

"Fuck the order. Cupcake, I lov..." He began to beg, holding his hands out in a pleading gesture.

"NO MORE CUPCAKE MORELLI!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "You had your chance. You fucked it up. You can go back to your miserable pathetic life and die for all I care. You made me feel worthless when I was with you. NO MORE! It's over Morelli."

"But Steph..."

"NO BUTS! I am marrying Evan. Period. If you can't get that through your thick skull, then I guess you're as dumb as I think you are. NOW BACK THE FUCK OFF!" I stepped forward into his personal space, I pointed my finger into his face, "Now turn around and get the fuck out!" He arm snaked out and grasped my wrist twisting it behind my back, holding my arm behind my back. The guys made to rush his and save me, but before they could, Morelli snarled, "Get the fuck back. You come at me and I shoot her." He pressed the muzzle of his service weapon into my temple. Evan growled and made his way to the front along with Ranger and Tank.

"Ranger. Ram. You men stay back. She's mine. You brainwashed her. You're never getting her back." He inched his way backwards to the door. Evan began to slowly follow us step by step. I could tell morelli was starting to lose his cool completely, he torqued on my arms making me cry out in pain. At that moment Evan lunged for us, Morelli moved his gunhand, I screamed and threw my weight into his arm. Morelli pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the floor, as Evan's weight knocked the three of us to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and screamed, "NO!" Morelli kicked Evan in the head and made to raise his arm to shoot Evan in the head. With my protective instinct in high gear, I reacted and kicked the gun out of his hand. Snarling, he got to his feet and we circled each other, ready to fight.

Ranger and all his men had their weapons aimed at Morelli and ready to fire if necesarry, but held them back saying, "It's her fight. She can do it. Support only."

I nodded and pushed a lock of stray hair out of my eyes, "He's right, Morelli. This is my fight and you are not going to win." I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes, trying to look as menacing as possible.

"Cupcake..." He taunted with a evil grin. He moved to swing his fist at my face, but I was too fast, I dodged and landed a hard right just under his right arm into his ribs. I heard a crack and he winced. Holding his side, he laughed. "Lucky shot. Your boyfriend show you that one?" I kept my defensive posture, weight on the balls of my feet, arms at the ready. He lunged again, I spun to the left catching him off guard and kicked his back sending him into the wall of black clad men. They turned him around and roughly thrust him back toward me.

"You bastard. You drunk, selfish, egotistical, maniacal, pompus, big-headed, conceited, spiteful piece of shit less than a man. You never deserved me. You never loved me. You loved controlling me. NO MORE YOU ASSHOLE!" I jumped up and gave him a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He fell against a table knocking it sideways. He righted himself, staggering with the ringing in his ears.

"You frigid bitch. You never could decide who's bed to climb into. You're just a slut and a whore! You're lucky I can overlook that. Let me take you away from them." He pointed to the guys.

"BOBBY! Get Evan!" I shouted over my shoulder. I turned to Morelli, "Morelli, I love Evan. I am marrying Evan. I will never marry you. I do not love you!" The look of rage filled his now purple face, his eyes darkened and his fist balled up. "I will be Stephanie Michelle Ramsey! I will have HIS children, I will live in HIS house, and I will tend to HIS needs. NOT YOURS!" He rushed forward sending us the the ground in a tangled heap. I punched, clawed and scratched him with all I had. I managed to fight my way to the top and had him stradled under me. I punched him in the face as hard as I could for as long as I could. He managed to push me off of him and across the floor. I watched him retreive his service weapon from off the floor. He moved it up and down lightly in his hands feeling the weight of it before his pointed it at me.

"Cupcake. You will never marry that GOON! I won't let you. I'd rather you be dead than marry someone else. I want my face to be the last one you see before you die." He raised his gun at me.

"Joe! Joe! Stop. Don't do this. If you love me, don't do this!" I begged him. My right hand was working the snap open on the holster of my gun. He threw his head back in a laugh, I pulled my gun pointing it straight at his heart. "Joe. My name isn't Cupcake.." He jerked out of his laugh, and raised his gun. We fired simultaneously, my bullet finding it's mark, dead center of his chest, his bullet grazed my left thigh. Loud screams and shouts followed by the sound of scrambling of feet washed over me, as patrons other than Rangeman fled the scene. Ranger barked for Tank to secure Morelli.

Morelli, froze and looked at his chest in disbelief, "Cupcake. You shot me." He sank to his knees, looking back to me, his face twisted in fury, he raised his gun hand. I pulled the trigger again and watched as it tore through his shoulder effectively making his arm useless if he lived. He dropped to the floor face first, his gun skittering away from him. I reached down and grabbed it, making sure it was out of his reach. Strong arms grabbed me, pulled my Glock out of my hands, as I sank onto my knees. Tears streaked my face as I clawed my way to Evan's unconscious body on my hands and knees.

"Evan! EVAN!" I screamed clutching him to my chest. "Baby, wake up!"

**A/N:** This is just a recap of the shooting from the first story, Comfort in Big Sky Country. Please read & review. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Janet Evanovich's characters. I am just borrowing them for a while. i promise I will return them unharmed.**

**Chapter 1**

The feel of the warm body next to mine, made me smile, even when I was still half asleep. I snuggled closer and squeezed my eyes tighter, but I knew Evan was fully awake. His hand grazed across my stomach, goose pimples dotted my flesh, and I sucked in a breath as I enjoyed the feeling. "Angel. It's time to get up. I know it's Sunday, but we still need to get down to the gym sometime this morning." He ghosted his fingers over my breasts, my nipples puckered under his touch.

I sighed and huffed out, "Fine! But you owe me a doughnut from Tasty Pastry later this week." I jerked my butt out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Evan and I had officially moved into _our_ apartment, when I moved my things into his apartment, freeing mine up for Justin, Evan's brother. I ran the warm water over my face and head, I wished it would wash away the nightmares as well. I knew that every night since I had shot and killed Morelli, I woke up in Evan's arms screaming and covered in sweat. I couldn't stop the dreams, Morelli coming back to life to kill me, him coming back to life to kill the nightmare I had that occurred the most frequent was him coming and taking my baby. My hands instinctually covered my stomach, knowing that the little life growing inside me was real and not some sick joke.

I had gone to the doctor two days ago and had confirmation, I was pregnant. We had conceived our little peanut when we were visiting his parents in Montana. I had been pregnant when I fought off and killed Morelli. I still wasn't sure how to tell Evan, or how he would take it, knowing we still weren't married yet. But I decided it would wait until after the weddings. Well, at least the first one in Montana. I finished my shower and dressed in my normal gym attire, sports bra, spandex shorts, tennies and a ponytail. I had finished putting my hair up when Evan stepped out of the shower, he looked a little puzzled. "Angel. Aren't you late?"

"Late? LATE? Who's late?" I stammered out, still thinking about the baby.

Evan tilted his head slightly, puzzled at my response. "The gym. Weren't you supposed to meet Lester five minutes ago?"

I blushed, and nodded, "Damn. I forgot. I better go." I kissed him quickly and ran out of the apartment and down the stairs to the gym.

Walking in on a gym full of muscle bound hotties would normally put any red blooded woman through her paces, and I was no different. I couldn't help myself as I stopped at the doorway, leaned against it and watched the men of Rangeman work out. I must have stood for too long because from somewhere deep in the gym I heard a voice yell, "Take a picture, it lasts longer, Babygirl!" I flushed and hung my head, knowing I had been caught. I knew that the voice belonged to Tank, his rich deep baritone, cut through the noise and chatter in the gym, no problem.

I found both Tank and Lester waiting for me on the treadmills. "Beautiful, get a good enough look yet?" Lester teased, flexing his chest muscles, making his pecs dance up and down.

I fanned myself playfully, and in the best southern accent I could muster I jabbed back, "Why Mr. Santos! I do declare, you look good enough to eat." Lester stopped and smiled, almost getting shot off the end of the treadmill. He caught himself and righted his position. Tank stopped his machine, he was bent over the terminal, in a full belly laugh. It echoed off of the walls and made me smile wide. "Mr. La Rouche, you are quite delectable, as well. I do declare!" With that, Lester had stopped his machine as well and was laughing too.

The back of my neck tingled and I knew Ranger was behind me. "Babe. If you're going to be here, at least laugh while walking." I heard him whisper into my ear.

"Yes, Batman!" I teased and began to stretch out my legs.

"Babe. Are you working out to fit into your wedding dress?" He asked carefully, knowing it was a sore subject.

"Carlos, I told you. It will fit no problem. It's you I'm worried about. How are you going to fit into your tux, when I haven't seen you work out in almost a week?" I shot back, a little more snotty than I had intended. He growled and picked me up over his shoulder in one swift motion. The gym grew quiet as he walked me over to the mats. He flopped me down onto my ass and used his hand to give me a 'come and get it' motion. I swore under my breath, "God damn Ranger! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

He placed his hands on his hips and laughed outloud, "Babe. You really think you can?"

I winced, "I did it again?" He nodded and gave me the same 'come and get it' motion.

I rose to my feet and took my defensive posture, but before he could swing, I dropped to the floor and curled into the fetal position, screaming. He froze, then came to my side, "Babe? Are you okay?" He placed one hand on my knee and his other hand on my back.

I stuck out my hand to touch his arm and said, "ZAP! You're stunned. I win." The look of both anger and amusement crossed his face.

"Well, I'll be damned! Babygirl, just beat Ranger!" Tank said in almost disbelief.

"Babe. Disqualified. You cheated." He chuckled. "You used your feminine wiles against me. No fair."

I stood up and punched him in the arm, "All's fair in love and war, Ranger." I called over my back as I walked back to the treadmills. After I had run my usual ten miles, I asked Lester to talk to me on the way back to the apartments on 4. "It's really important."

"Sure, Beautiful." He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the gym. When we had made it into the hall far enough from the gym, his smile faded, "Beautiful, what's the matter?"

"You saw me drop to the floor in the gym right?"

"Yeah, everyone did. Why? Are you really hurt?" He ran his gaze over my body checking for any outward signs of injury.

"No, I'm not hurt, I'm fine. I didn't want Ranger bashing on me like he normally does." I paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Yeah, so?" Lester began to get nervous, his left eye twitched and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Les, I'm pegnant." I whispered as quietly as I could. He stopped dead still on the stairs, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted dead away. "SHIT!" I ground out, I bent over to him and slapped his face, "Les. Lester! Wake up." His eyes blinked open a few second later, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs clouding his brain.

"You're pre..." I stuck a finger over his lips to shut him up.

"Lester. You can't tell anyone yet. I just found out two days ago, Evan doesn't even know yet."

He looked at me and smiled wide. "I know before Ram?" He hugged me and kissed my temple. "Beautiful, I can keep this secret." Then his face fell. "You need to tell the Core Team. You promised when you got pregnant you would tell them." He held my arms in his hands tightly, and looked deeply into my eyes. "You promised."

"I know, Les. I know. I just don't know how to tell them." I huffed out, pouting.

"We need to tell them today. Ranger was planning on sending you on a distraction tomorrow night." Lester frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "And I can't let you do it."

"I know. I need to tell Evan first. I was going to wait until after the wedding, but I guess I have to tell him now." I chewed my bottom lip, unsure of how. "I didn't think I'd be pregnant yet. I didn't get my shot when we were gone to his parents' place, I missed my appointment. Guess, his little swimmers are pretty gun-ho."

Lester chuckled, "You just used gun-ho in reference to Ram. That's funny, him being a sniper and all." He put his arm over his eyes and laughed louder.

"Shh! Lester you're going to draw attention to us. Shut Up!" I hissed, as I drug him out of the stairwell and into the hallway on 4. "I'm going to tell Evan as soon as I can. Just keep your mouth shut until I let you know it's safe to talk about Peanut."

Smirking, "Peanut?"

"That's what I've decided to call it until I can find out if it's a girl or boy. It's what my Grandpa used to call me when I was little." I told him as I stopped in front of my apartment. "So, please... don't say anything, Lester." I stuck my bottom lip out in a mock pout, "Pweeze? I'll love you forever and ever and ever!"

He stooped ove and kissed my gently on the lips, "How can I say no to that? Beautiful, I'll keep my mouth shut. I promise. Just hurry up, I can't wait to see the look on Tank's face when he learns he going to be an uncle." He snickered, "Uncle Tank... Hey I'm going to be an uncle! Uncle Lester. I like it." He grinned and shook his head.

"Later Les, I promise. I gotta go Evan will be back soon." I closed the door in his face and leaned back against it, sighing.

I waited until Evan had returned from running with Bobby and Ranger, before I cornered him in the kitchen. He was preparing breakfast for the both of us, as I sat on the stool at the breakfast bar. "Baby?"

"Hmm?" He answered, concentrating on scrambling a dozen eggs.

"Can I please have something different with my eggs this morning?"

"Sure. Ham, extra cheese or mushrooms?"

"None of those." I plastered a wide grin on my face. "How about pickles and ice cream?"

He stopped and turned to me, "Pickles and ice cream? That's gross even for you Angel." He shuddered at the thought of pickle and ice cream scrambled eggs. "The only time I've heard of someone liking that stuff is when they're preg..." He froze. His head turned slightly towards me, before the bowl dropped onto the floor, with Evan right behind it. I jumped up and turned the stove off, and knelt next to Evan on the floor.

"Evan! Evan!" I tried slapping his face, shaking him, nothing worked. I pulled out my phone and called Bobby. "Bobby. I need you at my apartment. Evan just passed out."

"Be there in 2!" I snapped the phone shut and kept trying to rouse Evan until Bobby arrived. I heard the knock and the lock tumble, a moment later Bobby, Tank, Lester and Ranger barged in. Bobby slid on his knees across the kitchen floor to Evan's side, opened his bag and retreived smelling salts. "How long has he been out?"

"Two minutes 45 seconds." I said, patting Evan's hand. "Evan, wake up." Ranger and Tank hovered over us, waiting to see Evan open his eyes, and to find out why he had passed out. Lester, on the other hand, sat quietly on the couch and watched the whole scene with amusement. Bobby passed the smelling salts under Evan's nose and a second later he began to come around.

"Shit! What the hell happened?" He held his head with his hand for a moment, before he wrapped me in a hug. Ranger and Tank looked at each other with a puzzled look.

Bobby, ever the medic, "Ram you passed out man. Do you remember what happened before you blanked out?"

Evan nodded his head, looking at me with tears in his eyes. "Yeah, man. I do." He hugged me again. "I just haven't eaten yet this morning." He gave as a lame excuse.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Ranger snapped. He was pissed his workout had been interupted on his day off.

"You told him Beautiful, didn't you?" Les asked me. I nodded and smiled. Lester chuckled as he walked out of the apartment.

"What the hell was that all about?" Tank asked Ranger. Ranger narrowed his eyes, and gave me a look like I had better tell him.

"Can you help me get Evan on the couch?" I asked, trying to change the subject quickly. "I want to call a Core Team meeting for 0900. I know it's Sunday, but I need to discuss something with you all."

"Is everything oaky Bomber?" Bobby asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I stood up and grabbed Evan by the shirt. "Can we get him to the couch?" Bobby and Tank helped Evan to his feet and walked him to the couch. Sinking into it he sighed and laid his head back, a dreamy look splayed across his face.

"0900. Conference room 2." Ranger walked out and pulled Tank with him. Bobby remained a few minutes more to double check Evan's blood pressure and heart rate, before giving in and leaving.

When we were finally alone, Evan placed his hands over my belly. He bent his head to my middle, "Hi, little one. This is your Daddy. I'm so glad you picked us to be your Mommy and Daddy. We love you." He kissed my stomach and raised his head to kiss me fully on my lips. "I love you Angel." He stilled, "You're happy right?" The look of sheer terror covered his face.

"Evan, I am shaking from being so happy." I showed him my trembling hands, "I can't believe it happened so fast. I missed my doctors appointment when we were at your parent's house. I knew something wasn't normal four days ago, so I took a pregnancy test. It turned pink almost immediately, so I scheduled an appointment with my doctor two days ago. He confirmed it, we're pregnant!" I hugged him, pulling him close. "You're going to be a Daddy!"

He smiled and hugged me tightly. "Angel, you've made me the happiest man alive. I'm marrying my Angel and I'm going to be a Daddy." He stopped and turned to me. "We have to tell the guys."

"Baby. That's what the meeting I called is for. We... are going to tell them they're going to be uncles." I grinned. Evan jumped up and raced into the bedroom. "Evan, are you okay?" I called after him. He returned a moment later holding three boxes of very expensive cigars.

"I was going to save these for my batchelor party, but this is a much better way to celebrate with them." He dropped the boxes on the table.

"Baby, I think that's a very good idea." I smiled, "We better get changed, it's almost 0900. We can eat after the meeting." We raced into the bedroom and changed into our uniforms of black cargos, black t-shirts and black boots. Evan and I looked like twins, with the exception of different choices of sidearms, we were the same. Evan stuffed the cigar boxes into a paper shopping bag and we headed up to 5 with 3 mintues to spare.

Everyone was waiting on us when we arrived. I found my seat between Lester and Evan and sat. Ranger called the meeting to order. "Steph called this meeting to discuss something of great importance." He turned to me, "Babe, it better be more important than chocolate and Tasty Cakes." Tank snickered.

I rose from my seat, with Evan doing the same. I cleared my throat and looked up at Evan who had put his blank face on, so I copied him. I smoothed my shirt, and stuck my hands into my pockets, before I could muster the courage to open my mouth. "Guys, I called this meeting because Evan and I have something to tell you." I paused to let that sink in. "We..uh... we, uh... shit! Evan you want to tell them?" I turned to look at him. He nodded and reached down into the bag, broke the seal on a box, pulled out a handful of cigars and handed them out to each of the men. Lester had a shit-eating grin on his face, while the rest were puzzled.

"Babe? Ram? You called a meeting to hand out cigars?" Ranger narrowed his eyes, Tank scratched his head, and Bobby sniffed the cigar.

"Guys. You're going to be uncles!" I shouted. Ranger's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Tank smiled and looked like he was going to cry. Bobby jumped to his feet and grabbed his medical bag. Lester laughed holding his side. Cal grinned wide and handed Hal $200. "Well?" I asked, nervous as to what would be said next.

"Babe? Are you sure?" Ranger asked after the shock had worn off.

"Yup. confirmed it two days ago." I fidgeted with my web belt. Evan placed one hand over my belly and the other on my shoulder.

"Babe. Is that why you wouldn't spar with me this morning?" Ranger asked, relived that it was pregnancy and not something else that had me dropping to the floor instead of taking a hit or kick.

"Yeah. I didn't want to hurt the baby." I covered my stomach with my hands covering Evans in the process. "I'm only about 4 weeks, but I'm definately pregnant." Bobby pulled me close and held the stethoscope to my chest, listening. I backed away, "Bobby, I am fine. gave me a clean bill of health. I can give you his number if you need to confer with him." He nodded and sat in a nearby chair hard, the news finally hitting him. His medic training finally gave way to the normal everyday Bobby.

Ranger strode over to us, shook Evan's hand while he pulled me into a hug and squeezed tightly. "Babe. I am so happy for you and Ram. I'm going to be an uncle." He beamed.

"Yes, Ranger. Um... I mean Uncle Ric." I smiled, and winked. He smiled at that and sat in his chair thinking about having a baby around.

"Unky." I crooned at Tank. He stood up and wrapped his massive arms around me, "Babygirl, I am so happy for the both of you."

Hal and Cal shook Evan's hand and kissed me on the cheek, "From Bomber to Mommy in no time flat. Damn Ram. You're good." Cal teased, and Hal blushed.

Bobby scooted his chair over to me, "May I?" He asked pointing to my tummy. I nodded and he placed his head on my middle with his mouth next to my belly. "Hi, there little one. this Uncle Bobby. You listen to me, make sure you tell Mommy to eat lots of healthy foods, drink lots of water and tell her to call me if she starts to feel sick. Okay?" He patted my tummy lightly, stood then hugged me tight. "Bomber, I will be here to help you in any way I can. I never had any baby or birthing training other than emergency delivery in battlefield conditions, but I can learn."

"Thanks Bobby. But I plan on having Peanut in the hospital." I laughed at the shocked looks on the guy's faces, "I know. Voluntarily going to the hospital? It's not normal for me. But for Peanut, I'd do anything." I patted my tummy to emphasize my point. I turned to Lester, "Okay, you can tell the rest of Rangeman. You kept your promise."

Lester jumped up and flung the door open, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Steph's pregnant!" The rush of guys that flooded the conference room was unexpected. Everyone who was still in the building had made his way over and congratulated Evan and I on our impending bundle of joy. We made sure to let each man know to keep the information about the pregnancy, in-house. No talk of the baby out of the building, period. I sat after a few minutes, growing tired of all the attention already.

After twenty mintues, Ranger cleared the room, "Don't you all have some work to do? Or do you want something to do?" The last stray man fled the room leaving the Core Team sitting at the table. Lester closed the door and locked it. "Babe. You know now we have to discuss the safety of you and the baby."

I nodded and shifted in my seat. "I know. I told you I was going to be safe. No distractions, no skips, a bodyguard at all times when out of the building. I also said I wouldn't fight you on it, so long as I felt I needed it." I sighed, "I know I was being bitchy before, but I don't want anything to happen to Peanut. I'll agree to anything so long as I don't go stir crazy."

Evan rubbed my shoulder, "Angel. Promise me, the first time you feel like you need space or that you need something, you tell us okay?" He traced my jawline with his finger. "I love you and would do anythig for you." He lowered his lips to mine in a short sweet kiss.

"Yes, Evan." I blurted out. I guess, I shocked the guys again, because they all sat there with their mouths open and eyes wide.

"Beautiful? Did you just agree to all of this, no problem?"

"Yeah. Why?" I asked.

"Bobby, check my pulse. I think I've died and gone to heaven." He joked.

"Uncle Lester!" I admonished.

Tank popped off with, "Uncle Fester is more like it!" Ranger snorted at that one and I giggled, imagining Lester as Uncle Fester from the Adam's Family.

"So who gets to be Cousin It?" I teased, chuckling at the guys.

Evan sat down quietly, deep in thought. I noticed he wasn't laughing like the rest of us and that concerned me. "Baby? What's the matter?" I dropped to my knees and looked up into his face.

"How are we going to tell our parents?" His eyes were unfocused, but then shifted to look at mine, full of apprehension. "My Momma's going to go nuts! And yours too." He shook his head in his hands, "We're doomed!"

I chuckled, "Oh, Honey. It's not that bad." I patted his knee. "We'll tell them later, after the wedding, okay? That way nothing will interupt our day." I laid my head on his lap, and whispered, "I love you Mr. Ramsey."

"I love you too Angel."

**A/N: Please read and review. **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Janet Evanovich's characters. I am just playing with them for a while.

**Chapter 2**

An hour later Evan had cleaned up the mess from the spilled eggs, and I had returned bringing two trays heaped with food Ella had put out in the break room for breakfast. We ate in silence, contemplating our future. "Angel. Did you talk with Sissy yesterday about the cake?" Evan asked as he shoved another forkful of fruit into his mouth.

"Mmm hmm. She's got everything she needs to make it. We finalized a design yesterday, too." I pushed the last piece of melon around on my plate, debating on whether or not to ask Evan my next question.

"Angel. What is it? What's going on in that brain of yours?" He requested of me.

"I... well, we never talked about the cost of the wedding. With this being my second wedding, I can't ask my parents to shell out for the entire thing." I hung my head, knowing our wedding was not going to come cheap. "I don't want us going into debt because I wanted linen on the tables, and roses down the aisles." Tears streaked down my face, Evan lifted my chin with a finger, and kissed away my tears.

"Angel. It won't make a dent in what I have saved up over the years. I've saved this money for a rainy day, and believe me, I'd rather spend it on us than nothing at all. I have it covered, Angel." I hugged Evan close, thankful at least one of us has money sense.

"I'll try to keep costs down. I promise." I offered, thinking I would have to scale back my plans a little.

"Angel. What ever your heart desires, it's yours. I can never say no to you, ever." He took my hands in his, brought them to his mouth and kissed them gently. "What ever my Angel wants, my Angel gets."

"Thank you Evan." I smiled, teary at his admission. "I finally get the wedding I've always dreamed of since I was a little girl."

He stopped and looked at me with a quizical look on his face, "You mean you didn't get it when you married the dick?"

I shook my head sadly, "No. My mother took over. I barely remember the ceremony let alone the reception. It was all a daze, and I don't mean it in a good way. I kinda took a muscle relaxer that morning to calm down." I giggled, "I could barely stand and walk, let alone recite my vows." I turned and gazed into Evan's eyes, "I promise, I'll stay away from pills on our wedding day."

He smiled and kissed my cheek, "You better."

After we finished the dishes, Evan ran upstairs to return the trays on 5, while I called my sister, Val.

"Val?"

"Hey, Steph. Sorry I didn't call you back yesterday, Lisa decided to reach out of the grocery cart and pull down an entire display of cereal boxes at the new big box store off of Hamilton. It took us almost an hour to pile everything back up. What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you went and had your fitting yet?" I knew she had, but I thought I had better ask just in case.

"Yeah, Mary Lou and I both went together. The kids played together and we were done in less than an hour. Did you have your fitting yet? It's only five weeks away, you know."

I sighed. "Not yet, Ella is putting the finishing touches on it today. So I have my first fitting tonight. I'm nervous, Val." I was wringing my hands, "Maybe Evan and I should elope like you and Albert did."

"No."

"No?"

"No. Part of me wished we had done it here, maybe a small civil ceremony. I mean Disney World was great, but you weren't there, and Grandma, and Mom and Dad."

"Gotcha. I'm just still under a lot of pressure from the whole Pino's thing." With the family, I had come to call the incident with Morelli, 'the Pino's thing'. It made it a lot easier on my Mother.

"Alright. Well, call me if you need anything else, okay?"

"Thanks Val. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Steph." I snapped my phone shut and started to flip through binder that held my wedding plan. I found the page listed as fittings and opened it, I whipped out my pen and noted that both Val and MaryLou had their first fittings. I noted that my fitting with Ella was that night and flipped to the flowers and decorations page. Because the wedding was in October, I had chosen yellow, orange and rust colored chrysanthemums. I planned to use pumpkins placed around in small piles as accents. Evan was happy with whatever I chose, but he had one request. He wanted his hogstooth necklace tucked into my bridal bouquet. I had laughed and happily agreed, knowing that ti wasn't the actual tooth from a pig, but the shell casing from his first sniper confirmed kill. Most people would probably cringe and outright deny him that request. But, for me, I knew it was important and I couldn't deny him. I had talked to the florist and she confirmed with me Friday that the flowers were ordered and would be at the Ranch a day before the wedding, so she and her assistants could start to decorate.

I shut the planner and eyed my phone as it began to ring. The theme for Batman rang loud and clear in the air, I flipped it open and answered it. "Yo Batman."

"Yo yourself."

"What's up?"

"I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"My office in 5." Before I could answer I knew he had hung up. Damn! When were the men of Rangeman going to learn phone etiquette?

I stuffed my planner into my over sized bag, grabbed my purse tossed it in as well and raced out the door chugging a bottle of water. By the time I stood outside Ranger's office, I had finished my bottle and stuffed it into my bag. I knocked, "Enter." Ranger was sitting at his desk pouring over a stack of papers. "Babe. I hope you know that I'm taking this wedding seriously." He waved his hand over the stack of paper. "Research results on the four caterer's you chose. Thought you'd want to check them out yourself."

I picked up the packet for the first candidate and immediately discarded it after noticing that the owner had not only been shut down by the Health Department twice in the last year, but he had a long criminal history. Candidate number two was a no go. She had received less than stellar reviews from past clients, including one who said that his entire wedding party ended up with food poisoning after eating bad seafood. Candidate number three was a possible. She had catered for over 30 years and just recently only took high end clients. She had semi retired and wanted to cook and serve the food she liked to make. She didn't do pigs in a blanket, but she did do ethnic foods upon request. I set the file on the leather guest chair next to mine and reached for the last. Candidate number four, lived in a town near Powderville, had catered for 23 years, worked as head chef at a high end resaurant in New York for 4 years before she broke off and moved to Montana. She raised as much as she could of the foods she served. Organic and considered herself a locavore. I liked her best, so I held out the packet to Ranger. "Her. I like her background. I liked the menu example and I like the fact she raises most of the food she serves. It's just the right fit."

Ranger smiled and took the file from me. "Alright, I'll set up a conference call with her tomorrow." He held his hands out to me, and I scooted around the desk to sit on his lap. "Babe." He hugged me close, nuzzled his head into my shoulder, and sighed. "I can't believe you're pregnant." I could tell he wasn't sad or upset. He was genuinely happy. "Babe. You're going to be a Mommy." He teased me. "And to think you couldn't stand the thought of having babies before. Look at you now."

I leaned back into him. "I know. I can't believe it myself." I giggled, "You know, Evan passed out because I told him he was going to be a Daddy."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, "That's why he blacked out?" He let out a deep laugh, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

I enjoyed spending time with Ranger, we hadn't had time to over the last few weeks. "Carlos?"

"Babe."

"Think you and I could hang out one night, just the two of us. I miss spending time with you." I sighed, "Evan doesn't mind. I already asked."

"Babe. I think I could suffer through another round of Ghostbusters if you want to make it a movie night."

"Okay." I brightened up. "When?"

"Not sure. I will have to let you know, Quierda. But when we do, we can go over a few files before we eat dinner. I'll have Ella make some of your favorites." He kissed my cheek, just as his phone buzzed with a text message. "Babe. you better go. Looks like Tank is having a problem with a client purposely setting off her alarm. She's got the hots for Binky, and is trying to get him to come to her aid." He chuckled.

"Sure, Batman."

"Babe."

I bounced out of his office and right into a wall of muscle. I looked up to see Cal and Hal dressed in nothing but shorts, their shirts stuck into their back pocket. "Damn! Will you two put shirts on, you're going to give me a hot flash!" I grumbled. Hal blushed, "Sorry Bomber. We just finished sparring and were headed to the break room for a snack. Wanna come?"

"Sure. I have nothing to do yet." I tagged along following behind and enjoyed the view of their well toned asses. We grabbed bottles of water and the guys snagged the last two apples. They sat munching on their apples while I opened up my planner and began to flip through it.

"Bomber, what's that?" Cal asked leaning over to read the last page I stopped on. "Music? Is that for the wedding?" He asked smiling.

"Yeah, I have to figure out what songs I want played before, during and after the ceremony. And I have to give the DJ a list of music I want him to add to his normal line up. Any requests?"

"My brother danced to At Last by Etta James with his new bride at the reception." Hal suggested. I jotted it down and looked to Cal.

"Cal, Honey, any ideas?"

"Yeah, lots of slow songs so I can dance with you." He grinned, "I need to get my Bomber fix. You're going to be gone for a whole week on your honeymoon." He traced a figure eight on the top of my hand. "I can't believe you're going to be a Mommy."

"Guess you're a MILF now!" Hal whispered, trying to keep his comment quiet. I wondered what the hell a MILF was but decided to ask Lester later. I chuckled at Hal's comment and continued my list of music.

"I guess we're going to have to add some country songs, but I'll have Evan and Woody come up with those, it's not really my cup of tea."

"Hey, you gotta have YMCA." Cal laughed at Hal, "Dude, remember the last time you danced to that?" Hal turned bright red and dropped his head onto the table. I looked at Cal hoping he'd add an explanation. "Bomber, we showed up at a club one night and YMCA came on and Hal here, jumped onto the dance floor and dances right up to a chick and starts grinding on her ass. They finish the song, she turns around and..." Cal was dying from laughter, tears streaming down his face. He finished the story, choking on the words, "She... turns around... and she...she...she had a mustache! IT WAS A GUY!" Cal leaned onto the table using it to keep from falling onto the floor. His laughter rang in the break room, drawing stares from the other men eating in the room.

"It was alternative lifestyle night!" Hal explained, nearly purple from embarrassment. "I didn't know they had an alternative night." Hal bent over and leaned his head onto my shoulder. "Bomber, it was the worst. It asked me for my number." Cal pointed at Hal and broke out into fits of laughter again. "Dude, it was dark, and it was in a dress. How was I supposed to know it was a guy?"

Cal shuddered with the thought. "Dude, his legs were hairier than yours!"

"Prick!"

"Pencil dick!"

"Bomber did I ever tell you about the time Cal was in Texas on a layover, waiting to come back here?" Hal's face grew wide with an evil grin. Cal fell like he had just been kicked in the nads.

"You wouldn't?" Cal begged, his eyes pleading with Hal.

"It'll cost you."

I shook my head and gathered up my things, "Boys, I'm headed to my mother's house. Have fun torturing each other." I kissed both Hal and Cal on the cheeks and headed for the control room. Binky and Woody were on duty. "Hey, boys. Who's on Bomber duty today?" I asked.

Not looking from the controls, Binky answered, "Manny. He won the right this time." He shifted a knob a little before he added, "I was supposed to, but I had monitor duty today. Have fun Bomber, be careful. Bye Peanut!" I smiled and giggled at the guys' use of my nickname already, one day and it was established that this little one would be called Peanut. I swung down to the basement to find Manny, developing the last of a roll of film in the darkroom.

I leaned close to the locked door and yelled. "Manny, I'm ready to go to my mother's house. You almost ready?"

Shuffling and a grunt were all I heard from inside. I figured Manny was almost ready, so I sat down on the floor and pulled my planner out again to wait him out. I had managed to list another fifteen songs to my requested playlist, when he emerged. I looked up to see him wrapped in a rubber apron as he tugged rubber gloves off his hands. "Wifey! You about ready?"

"Just waiting on you, Manny." I replied as I slid the planner back into my over sized bag.

A few minutes later we pulled out of the garage and headed to my Mother's house. The typical black Rangeman SUV cruised down the streets drawing little attention. "Manny?"

"Yeah, Wifey?"

"Do you think I'll make a good Mom? All I ever do is get hurt and get myself into trouble." I sighed, unsure as to how this child was going to survive it's first day with me, let alone the rest of it's life.

"Wifey, you are the strongest woman I know. If this kid has even a little bit of your determination and grit, it will be fine. Besides, it's not like you'll be alone. Ram will be right there, you have your family." He paused a bit before he added quietly, "You have us. I know it's hard to imagine a bunch of bad ass guys changing diapers and walking around with a colicy baby, but some of us have nieces and nephews. Some of us have had kids." He admitted sadly.

I patted his arm, "Manny, I'm sorry. I know losing your son still hurts. Just know I still love you, okay?" He nodded and tried to change the subject. "Your parents know yet?"

"NO! And I want to keep it that way until after the wedding." I blurted out, trying to prevent any possible leaks of the pregnancy to the Berg rumor mill.

"Alright. Mums the word." He zipped his mouth with the imaginary zipper, locked it with the imaginary lock and threw away the imaginary key. We pulled up in front of my Mother's house, and true to her usual self, she was at the window with my Grandma waiting for me. Manny and I exited the truck and went up the walkway to the front door where they were now waiting.

"Stephanie, where is Evan?" My mother asked. "Manuel, so nice to see you again." Proper Berg etiquette preempted any further questioning, and we entered the house to find a coffee cake and coffee waiting for us at the table.

"Ma'am, please call me Manny." He said, "Only my mother calls my Manuel."

"Alright then Manny, would you care for some coffee and coffeecake?" She gestured to a chair at the table.

"Yes, Ma'am." He promptly sat at the table and soon had a steaming cup of coffee and a plate with coffee cake in front of him.

"Manny. I almost forgot, I bought you some of that candy you are so fond of the other day. Let me get it for you." My mother bustled out of the dining room and into the kitchen.

Grandma Mazure reached over the table and handed me a cup of coffee and a slice of coffee cake. "Now, then Stephanie, does your mother know you're pregnant?" I choked on the bite of cake I had just put into my mouth. Manny slapped my on the back, and I swallowed hard. I looked to Manny quickly, hoping he'd get the hint and speak for me.

"Grandma, Steph doesn't want any family to know yet. Not until after the wedding, she doesn't want to complicate things." He explained, making sure I was breathing okay.

"Sure, it's just going to be hard to keep it under wraps for another four weeks." She frowned and then her face lit up. "Ain't that a pip! You're gonna be a Mommy!"

Just then my Mother walked out of the kitchen, "Who's going to be mother?"

Manny was quick on his feet. "My sister, Ma'am. She's due anytime." He smiled and shook his head, "She's been miserable the entire time, between the morning sickness and the swollen ankles, it's been a nightmare. I was just asking Grandma if she knew of any good tips for her."

Grandma piped up, "She should try and wear compression stockings, like us old folks wear. Works wonders."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Manny smiled and slid me a sideways glance as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Mom? What do you think of the decorations, so far?" I asked sliding my planner forward.

She looked over the plans and nodded, "I think it will be beautiful, Honey. I'm just worried that with the ceremony being so far away you won't be able to coordiante everything yourself." She expressed with concern.

"Mom, I'm not. Believe it or not the guys have been a fabulous help." I beamed at Manny. "Even Manny has agreed to be our photographer."

Patting his hand, my mother said with a proper Berg smile, "Are you sure dear? Bless your heart." I rolled my eyes as Grandma snickered.

"Mom, I have my first fitting with Ella tonight. I can't have anyone see my dress yet, so I'm going to have to ask you to stay at home tonight." I begged her, hoping she'd agree.

"Nonsense. The brides mother is always there." I groaned and my head dropped in defeat.

"Mom. Please. We did the first wedding your way. Let's do this one mine." I added gently, "Please?"

"Fine. But I don't want to be embarrassed, and I don't want Evan's mother to be embarrassed as well."

"Okay. No embarrassment. I got it." I flipped the pages of the binder to the guest list. "Understand that I will have all the Rangeman Core Members there, as well as extra men for security. Evan is inviting all his family as well as his friends from his hometown. It will be a big final number, but you have to understand, this is the one and only time Evan will get married. And I can't deny him his family and friends." I explained as my mother's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Two hundred and eighty? My word! Is that including the security people?" She asked, sitting back in her chair taking in the large number.

"No. That's another ten to fifteen. Ranger hasn't decided who's going yet."

"Ranger decided who goes and who doesn't?" She asked, a little miffed he still was a part of my life.

"Yes, Mom. He's in charge of security. Like it or not, Mom, Ranger is still my friend, and my boss. He's not going anywhere." I answered as best as I could to quiet her questions.

"Stephanie. What does Evan think of all this?" She pointed to the extra page I had inserted into my binder under the heading of Security.

"He's fine with it. You should know that." I huffed out getting annoyed at my mother. I changed the subject, "I talked to the Sissy yesterday, we finalized the cake design and she just received the last of her supplies. So she's ready to go." I flipped to the caterer page. "Ranger gave me the caterer files this afternoon and I decided on one. He's setting up a conference call tomorrow. The DJ has been booked and I've been working on my music lists." I slid my lists to her, allowing her to give them a quick look.

"These look fine, Dear." She stopped and pointed to one song in particular. "You really want this one?" I looked over to the list, noticed which one she was indicating and nearly laughed myself out of my chair. "Cal requested it. Said Hal couldn't live without it." I slid the list over to Manny and showed him which song we were talking about. He turned red in the face and tried desperately to hold in his laughter. But after a second or so, he relented and burst out laughing filling the house with a deep, rich laugh.

"Yeah, we have to have that one." Manny guffawed, "Maybe we can get Lester to dress up in a cheap dress and heels." We both doubled over with laughter as my mother tsk'd us.

"For shame. Making fun of Hal. He's such a sweet boy... er... man." She looked at me sternly, "Well, he's a giant hulk of a man, but he's like a boy." We just laughed even harder.

After finishing our coffee cake and coffee Manny and I made our departure, box of coffee cake in my hands and a huge bag of candy in Manny's. "I can't believe your Mom got this for me." He lifted the big bag up to his face like a four year old, "This is so cool! I haven't been able to find this stuff in years, and she finds a big ol' bag just for me. I think I love your mom."

"Hey did you lie to my mom about your sister?" I asked him, hoping he said no.

"Nope. She's was supposed to pop today, but nothing yet." He held his hands out far from his body. "She's huge. Twins." I smiled and knew that Manny could never lie to me and definately not to my mother now that she was in his good graces. "I'm going to head over to her house later tonight. Her husband is deployed in Afghanistan and could use the comfort of a family member being there with her."

"You're a good brother, Manny. It only proves my point that you'll be a great Uncle Manny." We hugged before I hopped into the front passenger seat and we drove back to Haywood.

**A/N: Please read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Janet's fabulous characters. I am merely playing with them for a while.**

**Chapter 3**

Evan was sitting on the couch watching a show on Discovery Channel about loggers, he chuckled as he watched one of the fallers land a tree on top of the greenhorn's truck. "I don't know how they do it? I mean, I understand the whole concept of cutting the tree to land where you want it, but who in their right mind would stand so damn close to the thing?"

"Baby. It's not that bad." He turned to look at me with his eyebrows raised.

"How do know that?" He asked.

"I knew a girl in college, Molly. Her dad and brother worked as loggers in Northern California, cutting redwoods. She invited me to go with her for a week over summer break, and so I got a crash course in logging. She lent me a pair of her high boots, a set of her spikes and gloves. We spent the entire week working with her dad, her brother and their crew clearing a section of the forest. He taught me how to run the landing, set chokers, climb a tree with spikes and ropes, and the last day he taught me how to fall a tree." His expression was priceless. His mouth hung open and his eyes wide as saucers. "What?"

"You did all that?" He queried, unsure if I was yanking his chain or not.

"No, honest. Mr. Turner made us work our asses off. I got back to her house every night completely caked in mud, my legs felt like jello from setting chokers and my arms felt like they were going to fall off. But, it didn't suck as much as it sounds. By the end of the week, Mr. Turner said I had job with him whenever I wanted one. Apparently I had a knack for landing my trees pretty well." I chuckled, flexing my arm, "And I do have to say I had a smoking hot body after that week."

"Angel, you have a smoking hot body right now." He rose up and stalked his way over to me, I feigned fear and ran into the bedroom. He followed me, stepping silently across the lush carpet. "Angel." He called to me taunting me. We liked to play a version of hide and seek, I hid and he would seek me out, then an incredibly hot round of lovemaking would follow. I had managed to find a spot in the back of the closet, behind his gunsafe that I could squeeze behind to hide. He had yet to figure out where I was hiding, as he crept into the bathroom. I snuck out of the closet and noiselessly crept into the kitchen. I leaned against the counter sipping my orange juice waiting for him to find me. A few seconds later he sighed, and I heard his muffled voice, "Okay, Angel. You win. I give up. Where are you?" I giggled, giving away my position in the kitchen. He came out with a puzzled look on his face, "How the hell did you get in here?" He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to our bedroom.

"That's for me to know and you never to find out." I teased, tousling his short cropped high and tight. He bent his head down capturing my lips with his, his lips were soft and supple, making me want to nibble. The low moan that erupted from him was all I needed to know he was more than ready to take me to bed. "Baby make love to me."

He gently set me on the bed, I scooted up towards the headboard after I kicked off my boots and socks. He stood over me, watching, licking his lips. "Angel, you look good enough to eat." I felt the first flames of desire start to grow within me and I shivered, wanting to feel his mouth all over my body. He tugged his shirt off over his head, giving me a grand view of his broad, well muscled chest. Evan lowered himself beside me, molded his body to mine and kissed my shoulder. I shuddered and gave a low moan. Evan used his teeth to tug at my earlobe sending my body into overdrive. I pushed him onto his back, ran my tongue along the crest of his shoulder and down to his chest. I captured a nipple in my mouth, suckling and laving it into a hard nub. I switched to his other nipple and teased it into a stiff peak. I rolled them both between my fingers after I raised my lips to kiss his Adams apple.

My hands reached down, unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned and unzipped his cargos. Knowing he liked going commando, I flayed the fly open to reveal his rock hard erection, standing tall. I ran a fingertip over the swollen tip, after collecting the drop of clear fluid from the end with the tip of my finger, I brought it to my mouth. He made a strangled groan as he watched me taste him. "Yum." I teased him and watched as his hard shaft began to bounce with need. I wrapped my hands around his dick and his sack, giving them each a small squeeze. He hissed out, and closed his eyes, obviously enjoying the feeling. With my head lowered, I snaked my tongue out and licked the very tip of his dick. He shuddered and placed both of his hands onto the back of my head. I slid him fully into my mouth and swallowed, he jerked slightly, engulfed with the feeling of my mouth. I moved my head up and down bringing him close to cumming, when I felt his muscles tighten, I backed off and rocked back onto my heels.

"Angel, God!" His voice was thick and his eyes hooded with desire. I slipped my shirt and cargos off while he shed his pants, boots and socks off. I lay there in nothing but my lacy demi-bra and lace thong. He rolled on top of me, brushing his lips over mine and traced my bottom lip with his tongue. I slid mine out to touch his, they danced together for what seemed like hours, before he claimed my whole mouth with his. I felt the flames grow into a huge fire, my body began to tingle and feel warm all over. I wrapped my arms around his neck holding him close, kissing his back with as much fervor as he did. His hand ghosted down my neck to my chest and around my back unhooking my bra with quick efficiency. He tugged it off, exposing my breasts to the cold air. The nipples puckered into rosy buds, begging to be touched by his mouth. He enslaved my nipples with his hot and steamy mouth, laving them with his tongue and nibbling with his teeth. I cried out as the first waves of pleasure rippled over me, he hadn't even penetrated me yet and I had already had an orgasm. As he watched me shake with every contraction, he whispered, "You are my heart and soul. I was made to love you."

Evan slid his hand down to my thong and ripped the lace away, as it was the last barrier between our coupling. I sighed, knowing I would have to make another trip to Victoria's Secret soon to replace all the panties he had ripped in the last few weeks. His finger slid down to the juncture of my thighs and moved in between my legs. I moaned, writhing with pleasure. "Evan!"

He gently nudged my legs apart and settled his head between my thighs. He lowered his head and licked up my already wet slit. I arched my back in response to the intense feeling. He used his teeth to tease my clit out of it's hood, his tongue formed circles and flicked back and forth, throwing me into one of the greatest orgasms I had ever had. I nearly shot off of the bed and let loose an animalistic sound. It produced an instinctual response in his body, he scrambled up my body, wedging his hips against my thighs. The head of his rock hard erection hovered at my slick entrance, I begged for his to take me, "Evan please. Please!"

He slid into me slowly, allowing my to adjust to his massive. I threw my head back, loving the feeling of having in me fully, he rocked his hips back drawing himself nearly out of me. I whimpered at the loss of his manhood, before he began to thrust inside me deeply. I raked my fingernails down his back, biting his chest as he pounded into me. He felt me crest the peak, as I climaxed he whispered into my ear, "Angel, I am yours. I will love you until the day I die and beyond."

He flipped onto his back, keeping himself seated deeply within me. I moaned, my eyes barely open, my breath came in short gasps. I rocked back and forth, leaned backwards to place my hands onto his thighs and felt totally on fire as he drove deeper inside me. The raging inferno inside me begged to be released, I felt myself tighten, as I straddled him. His sack tightened as his body prepared to spill his seed deep within me.

Evan's breathing changed into frenzied grunts and gasps, I opened my eyes wide, grabbed his face between the palms of my hands and forced him to look deep into my eyes. As our souls connected, my body was rocked with the most intense waves of pleasure I had ever felt. I fell over the edge with the most excruciatingly magnified release I ever had in my life. I saw stars and fireworks beneath my eyelids as I slid into the exquisite sensation of floating on a sea of warm liquid pleasure. I contracted time and time again, causing him to drop over the edge and achieve his own climax. My contractions milked from him everything he had, my body vibrated with every contraction, as his quaked with every pulse of his shaft. I slumped over onto his chest, his arms encircling me in a protective hug. We lay there with me straddling him for a long while, him still inside me.

I fought the urge to fall asleep, as I watched him bask in his afterglow. "Evan. I love you."

"I love you too Angel."

"Evan?"

"Hmm?"

"You're going to be a great Daddy." I murmured as I was overcome with sleep.

Evan gently rolled me onto my side and cuddled up to me, spooning against my backside. "You are going to be the greatest Mommy, Angel." As he drifted off into his own dreamland, he mumbled, "I can see how you got pregnant right away. My boys are overachievers!" He gently laughed himself to sleep.

We awoke sometime after supper time and both our stomachs growled with hunger. "Time to feed the beast!" Evan teased, twirling one of my nipples with his fingertips.

I sucked in a breath and slapped his hand away, "You better knock that off and feed me or you'll have one unhappy baby." I patted my stomach and looked up to see him chuckling.

"Yes, Mommy." Evan dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a pullover and flip flops and left the room to retrieve supper from the break room. Before he came back I had pulled on a pair of smiley face boxers as well as one of Evan's old t-shirts, I plopped myself onto the couch and flipped the tv on to find something interesting to watch. I had settled on Sons of Guns and observed Evan return with two trays full of food. We ate in silence watching one of his favorite shows, and soon found ourselves snuggling together on the couch, snoozing.

My alarm on my cell phone woke me up around 1930, I stretched my arms and legs wide, growling in the process. "Angel, you do that again, and I'm going to drag your ass back to the bedroom." He whispered into my ear.

"Evan, I can't". I stood up and raced into the bedroom, pulled open my panty drawer and turned to see Evan watching me. "I have my fitting tonight with Ella at 2000. I can't be late. Now get out of my way Daddy. Mommy has to get her unmentionables ready to take with her." I grabbed a bag and stuffed my bra and a pair of 4 inch FMP's in and made a mad dash for the door.

A/N: Please R&R. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Janet's characters. I do not make any money from my stories.**

**Chapter 4**

The next day I was still basking in the glory of knowing my wedding dress was everything I had ever wanted and more. Ella was the apex of seamstresses, and her creation was beyond my wildest dreams. By the time I had left her apartment I was crying tears of joy, knowing no other dress could ever compare. I had gone back to our apartment, fallen into bed with Evan and dreamed of our baby.

I woke around 0430 and slipped into the shower. I felt Evan's presence and turned to see him watching me through sleepy eyes as he leaned against the door jam. "Angel. You up already? I thought you'd sleep in a little."

Shaking my head, "Nope. I gotta run this morning or my dress will never fit." I threw on my workout attire and slapped his ass as he stepped out of the shower. I pulled my hair into a pony tail and secured it with a scrunchie. "Evan. I'm heading to the gym. You gonna meet me there later?"

He replied from the bedroom, "Yeah. I'm going to run with Tank, Bobby and Ranger this morning. Can you make sure Lester doesn't over do his workout. He's still not one hundred percent yet."

"Sure." I knew Lester still wasn't completely back to normal after his attack two months ago. After getting shot in the stomach, most men would just be happy to be able to cough without crying. But not Lester. Even though his abdominal wall was still not healed all the way, he had already started running two weeks ago. Bobby, tried to keep Les on a restricted workout, but he pushed farther, faster and harder with each day. I was almost sure he was part cyborg, unable to let anything stop him. I grabbed a bottle of water, tugged my shoes on and headed to the gym.

Lester was on the floor stretching when I entered the room. He sat up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mommy on the floor!" All the guys stopped doing their reps and laughed, they knew full well I would blush. I was crimson by the time I reached Lester, I kicked him in the butt and sank to the floor to stretch myself.

"Santos! I swear you're going to drive me nuts. But do it because you love me."

He gave me his lopsided grin and I rolled my eyes. "I sure do, Beautiful. More than you will ever know." His face showed nothing but love and pure adoration as he said it.

"Hey, Evan said for me to remind you not to over do it today."

He rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. "Awww... Ram's no fun! Bet I can beat your ten mile time."

"Not today Lester. You take it easy, or Mommy will have to spank you!" I raised my hand behind him indicating I would swat his ass if he did too much.

"Spank me Mommy. Spank me." He chuckled, sticking his ass out a little further.

"SANTOS!" I cringed when I heard Ranger's voice. I knew Lester was in for a world of hurt once he was deemed fit for full duty. He would have 4 months of pain brought upon him in the matter of a day or two, metered out by Ranger. "Knock it off!"

"Sir." Lester saluted him and started up his treadmill. Soon both of us had hit our stride and were chatting back and forth, here and there over the next thirty minutes.

"Les..." I huffed out. "Did you get fitted yet?" I wiped a bead of sweat off of my neck where it had trickled down.

"No. Bobby, Ranger, Tank, Cal, Hal, Evan, your dad and I are all going together later this afternoon." He answered back a few seconds later.

"Good. I need that done. Remember you have a rust colored vest like the guys, they're a bella luna pattern, diamond pattern with a black dot in the center of each."

"I hate dressing up in a monkey suit." He pouted, his bottom lip sticking out.

"But Lester, you'll look so damn hot in it. You'll have to get someone to take a picture of your asses in the pants so I can check them out. Just do me a favor, skip my dad's ass. Ewww..."

"Beautiful! You are a dirty girl." He faked a shocked look, hand over his heart. I shut off my treadmill and walked around for a moment to catch my breath.

"Not as dirty as you Lester Santos. You are a dirty, dirty boy!" I snapped him in the ass with my towel and jogged out the door and to my shower.

Woody and I met Lula at the dress shop just before lunch, promising her lunch afterwards. She hung in there the entire appointment, and finally we had achieved success. Lula looked stunning in a rust colored dress that fell to her feet with an empire waist tied with a matching satin bow in the back. I was shocked to finally see her dressed in something that was made for her size. I would never say she's fat, becasue she isn't. Lula is just full figued, really full figured. But in the bridesmaid dress she was stunning, I'm sure Tank would be totally smitten with her all over again, once he saw her in the dress. She agreed that for the wedding and reception she would wear the dress, for me. But after that it was back to normal Lula, squeezed into spandex outfits four sizes too small.

We split from the dress shop and headed to the Cluck in a Bucket. She ordered a whole bucket of chicken, four biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, a mini pie for dessert, and a medium diet cola. Woody and I ordered nothing. "Whitegirl, you feeling okay?" She asked biting into the greasy chicken with gusto.

"Yeah, I'm not hungry." I lied. The sight and smell of the fried chicken made me nauseous. I swallowed hard trying to keep my stomach where it belongs. By the time I dropped her off at the bonds office I was green.

"Gurl. You is sick. Look at you. You look like you gonna puke." She scrambled out fo the SUV. "Don't be gettin' me sick!"

I shook my head, "It's just nerves from the wedding. I'm fine. Look, I'll call you later, okay? I gotta get back for a conference call with the caterer. Later Lula."

"Bye whitegirl. Bye Handsome." She waved her hand goodbye, a chicken leg still wrapped in her fingers.

I made it about a block before I pulled over and puked into an empty Cluck in a Bucket bag Lula had left on the seat. Woody got out and escorted me to the trash can. We walked back to the SUV, Woody hopped into the front passenger seat and shut his door. Just as I was about to open the driver's door, I heard the unmistakeable _ping_ of a ricochett off of the bulletproof glass of the SUV. Woody tore around the SUV and threw my into the back, slammed the door and jumped into the drivers seat. Throwing the SUV into gear he hit the com button and was patched straight through to the monitor room. "Bones, someone just took a shot at Bomber when she stopped to toss some trash on Washington. Notify the Core Team, immediately! Our ETA is 4."

"Understood.!" Bones replied and the com link was severed.

"Bomber. Are you okay?"

"Yes, Woody, I'm fine. It missed me." I tried to assure him, but Woody was beside himself. In his mind, he was at fault, he had allowed someone to shoot at me. He kept glancing back at me to make sure I was still alive. We screeched into the underground garage as the Core Team ran out of the stairwell, with almost all of Rangeman. Woody threw open his door and gently pulled me out of the SUV, "BOBBY CHECK HER OVER!" he screamed. Woody let go of me into Bobby's arms and stood before Ranger giving him a full account of the incident.

Bobby gave me a quick once over and double checked my blood pressure and heart rate, "They're fine. Her heart rate isn't even elevated." He sighed and patted me on the shoulder, "Bomber, you'll put me in an early grave."

"Sorry, Bobby. But I can't help if some idiot decides to use me as target practice." I shrugged my shoulders.

"But he can." Ranger barked at Woody, who stood next to him hanging his head. Ranger was pissed, his eyes had darkened to a shade lighter than black, his fists balled by his side. He turned to Woody, "Mats in 20."

"Yes, Sir." Woody replied.

Feeling bad, I walked over and hugged Woody tightly. "I'm sorry Woody. If I hadn't puked this would have never happened."

Evan pulled me into his warm embrace. "Puked? You got sick?"

"Yeah. After Lula got fitted for her dress, we stopped at Cluck in a Bucket so she could get some lunch. The smell made my stomach turn, I made it as far as Washington before I tossed my cookies. Woody got out with me when I threw away the bag I puked in, but when we went to get back into the SUV, someone shot at me. It ricochetted off of the glass, I think it was the driver's window." I pointed to the driver's side, "I was being good, honest. I took Woody with me and I kept my nose clean. But I still got shot at. I'm sorry." By the end of my explanation I was crying. I turned to Ranger, "Please don't hurt Woody. He did what he was supposed to do. If you have to blame someone, blame me. I was the reason we stopped in the first place." I threw myself into Evans arms and bawled.

The guys stood around shuffling their feet unsure as to how to deal with me. Evan patted my back and whispered into my ear that everything was okay. "Angel, no one blames you. You're pregnant and puking is normal. Woody will be okay, he can take it."

Ranger frowned, "Babe. I think you better start taking two men with you from now on. I can't have Ram kick my ass because something happened to you or Peanut." I smiled through my tears, Ranger had called the baby, Peanut.

"Okay." I sniffled and allowed Evan and the guys escort me back upstairs. Once in the conference room, I noticed that the big screen TV was set up with the teleconference standby screen. I wiped the last of my tears away and asked Ranger, "When is the teleconference?"

"Now."

"Oh." I straightened my hair and nodded that I was ready. Tank hit a few buttons on the laptop and the image of an older woman with a warm face appeared on the screen.

"Hello, from Montana." She smiled, "I hope everything is okay. A nice young man came on a few minutes ago and told me it would be delayed for a short while."

"Yes, , everything is okay. Thank you." Ranger answered. He gestured to Evan and I sitting to his left, "This is the bride and groom, Stephanie Plum and Evan Ramsey."

" I am glad you asked me to cater your wedding. I am excited to meet you in person. And Evan, so nice to see you again." She grinned wide.

"Nice to see you too Ma'am. How is your son Ben?"

"Good, thank you. I told him I would be talking to you today and he said to say hi."

"Please tell him hi as well, I sure miss hanging out with him at the shooting matches."

"I'm sure he does as well, Honey." Feeling that it was time to get down to business, she paused and organized a few papers in front of her. "I sent you a packet late last week with the price lists, sample menus and photos. Am I to assume you received them."

"Yes, Ma'am." Evan responded. "We looked them over and we agree that the idea of a buffet would fit our personalities best."

I nodded, "..."

"Honey please call me Carol." She said, "We don't really do the whole formal thing too much around here."

"Only if you call me Steph." I smiled and felt instantly comfortable with her. "We think that the idea of dessert and fresh fruit bars would be outstanding. We have a lot of men who's appetites will far surpass what you would consider normal portions. We are expecting two hundred and eighty guests." I turned to Ranger, "Final count on security?"

"Fifteen." He said with a slight smile.

"Plus another fifteen security men. Are you able to manage a group of this size?" I asked hoping she said yes.

"Steph, I catered the Montana Republican Convention last year. I served over five thousand people in a single day. Three hundred will be a piece of cake. Will there be a place onsite where I can prepare?" She said, with a wide grin.

"There will be a tent for you as well as a sanitized barn for you next to the event site." Evan offered.

"Perfect. I can handle that. Are there any special dietary requests you may have?"

"Yes, as far as I know there will be three vegetarians, one vegan, and we have someone who poses a kind of a challenge." I gestured to Ranger before I continued. "My boss, , has a very particular eating style. Let's just say his body is a temple."

She nodded, "I understand. , is there anything you would like me to prepare for you special?" Ranger shot a look at me like I was dead meat, but I just smiled and knew he wouldn't touch one head on my body.

"There is one dish I am particularly fond of. I trust that it will be prepared and set aside for me." He winked at me and waited fro her response.

"Of, course. If you can send me a recipe, I will have it waiting just for you, ."

"Thank you." He crossed his arms behind his head, "I will have the contract sent out by the end of today. Money is no object, I will be paying. Please make sure both Stephanie and Evan have an enjoyable wedding reception."

"Thank you, all. I will try to surpass your expectations. Good bye all."

Once the connection was severed, I jumped up, my arms flailed about as I tore into Ranger. "Ranger! What the hell do you mean you're paying for the caterer? It's going to cost nearly twenty grand for what we want. I can't have you pay all that!"

"Babe. Remember what I told you. No price." I stopped dead in my tracks, closed my mouth and ran into his arms.

"Thank you, Carlos." I whispered into his ear. "I love you too."

Evan sat me in his lap as he shook Ranger's hand. "Bossman, I can't thank you enough. You've already done so much for us, this is just great. Thanks man."

"De nada." Ranger smiled, "Babe. I think you better go finish filling out the forms sent. She wants to know about food choices and what not. Ram, you better go with her or else all we'll eat are Tastycakes and doughnuts." He teased.

Evan and I poured over the menu lists and checked our choices, it wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated, and soon we were signing the paperwork with Ranger. He sealed the contract in an overnight envelope and sent it downstairs to be picked up by courier. We left Ranger's office and headed to our desks. "Angel. What 'cha doing today?"

I sighed and pointed to the inbox on my desk, "Same old, same old." Evan chuckled as he sauntered over to his desk on the other side of the room. I growled when I saw the stack piled high with searches from Rodriguez. "That man hates me."

"Who Beautiful?" Lester asked. He leaned back in his chair and smiled at me. His desk was directly across the aisle from mine and he always managed to find something interesting to talk to me about.

"Rodriguez. He always sneaks files onto my desk day or night, and I've never seen him. What's up with that?" I huffed out, pissed I was going to spend all day stuck on the computer. I had hoped I could go on an install with Hector, it would help to break the monotony. "Know if Hector has any installs today I can tag along on, Les?"

"Not that I know of. You can't go anyway, you need to stay here. The guys and I have our fittings today, remember? Someone from the Core Team has to remain here in charge." I made to stick my bottom lip, but thought better and just rolled my eyes. "Sometimes I think you guys only made me part of the Core Team so you all could take off and relax."

"Beautiful! That's not why we made you a partner." He glided his chair over next to mine, leaned forward and placed his forehead against mine. "We wanted you to be part of Rangeman permanently. You earned it, and besides, to list that one of our partner's has a 100% capture rate on her skips doesn't hurt. The investors loved it." He hugged me close, "Beautiful. The biggest reason, is because we love you so much. You complete us. You made a lonely and horribly dark company shine. You are the first thing customers talk about when they tell their friends about our company. How warm and lovely you are. Besides, I would never have been the same person without you. Hell, can you imagine what Ram's life would have been like without you?"

"He would be miserable, just going through the motions of life." I answered.

"Exactly. You have made him a better man. You've made us all better men. So you being a partner in this firm means something to us. It means we love you and we want you to stay. Not to babysit and man the controls because we want a day off." He explained, as he looked into my eyes. "I love you Beautiful."

"I love you too Lester." I hugged him close, breathed deeply. My bodily reaction to the manly scent of his cologne made me aware of our close contact. Trying to change the subject, I teased him, "Les, please don't forget to take the photos of your asses. The girls will want a preview."

He stood up and stuck his booty out a little further than normal and smacked it, "Nice and tight!"

"Lester!" I laughed and turned to start my searches.

Around 1300, I rolled my neck to relieve tension in my neck and felt familiar hands begin to massage the muscles.

"Bomber. We're getting ready to go for our fittings. You remember the procedure in case of a break in or emergency?"

"Start recording all calls, record the footage, ascertain the situation, deploy necessary measures and call you guys."

"Right. Anything else?"

"Try not to pee my pants." A heart laugh filled the room echoing off the walls.

"Bomber, call me if you start to fell nauseous again. I have pills that can help with that." He finished my massage and I pouted not wanting it to end.

"Yes, Bobby. Now you boys go have fun, and remind Lester about the pics. He'll know what I mean." I turned to wink at Bobby, I have him a little fingerwave as he strode out the door and to the garage to meet the guys.

I walked over the control room and watched on the monitors, the guys pile into one of the black Expeditions and head out to pick up my father. Both Manny and Binky were manning the monitors, when I turned to Binky, "Weren't you in here yesterday?"

He hung his head. "Yeah, monitor duty for two weeks straight. I got caught texting on a stakeout."

"Binky. You know better than that." I admonished him, but patted him on the shoulder. "I'll bring you two a snack in a few. I gotta close out my computer first."

"Thanks Mom." He grinned and winked.

"You're welcome SON!" I teased back, shaking me head I walked out of the control room and back to my cubicle.

Binky, Manny and I sat watching monitors while we noshed on a bag of Doritos I had smuggled into the building. I was shocked and nervous when a red light above the monitors began to flash. Binky started the recordings for the video feed as well as the phone, as soon as he pulled up the account on his computer. Manny jumped up, knocking back his chair and grabbed the ringing phone. "Rangeman control room. Manny here." After listening for a moment, he relaxed and replied, "Yes, . We will have someone out right away to fix the keypad. Expect Hector there in twenty minutes... Yes, Ma'am. Thank you Ma'am." He hung up and pushed a button on the console, effectively shutting the flashing red light off. He turned to give me a report. " reported that she accidentally set off the alarm, because her keypad was covered in paint. Her kids thought it would be funny. False alarm." Binky stopped the recordings and resumed his scanning of the monitors.

"Good. I don't want anything to happen." I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it wasn't an emergency. "Now, pass the Doritos. I'm eating for two now, so stop hogging all the chips Binky."

By the time the guys had returned from their fittings, I had managed to hold down the fort with only the false alarm from to keep us busy. We had managed to polish off the bag of Doritos, a box of Tastycakes and three bottles of diet soda I had brougth back from my apartment. The evidence was secrected away in a bag for disposal at a later time, as I sat with my feet up on the edge of the consol, arms crossed staring at the rotating images on the monitors. "Angel. You managed a monitor shift with the guys I see." He brushed chip crumbs off of my chest. "And snacking in the control room as well. Better not let Ranger see those crumbs." He smiled and swept me into a hug.

"Sorry. I got bored and then I got hungry." I said defensively. "Besides, I'm eating for two now." I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Nothing happened while we were gone. No emergency call, so I guess you survived your first time al the helm."

"Just a false alarm from . Hector fixed the keypad and got back about an hour ago." Just then my phone beeped with an incoming text message.

LSantos: Beautiful here's the pics u wanted. U r a dirty girl!

I laughed and opened the attached file. I sucked in my breath, there were seven pictures of nice well toned asses draped in dress pants. I giggled and texted him a message back.

SPlum: Thnx Les. They r perfect! I O U!"

"Angel does your text have anything to do with Lester checking out my ass when we were trying on the pants?"

I gave him a super sexy smile, lowered my lashes and purred, "What? Can't I have a memento?"

"Angel. Les is right. You are a dirty girl."

"Hey!" I snapped my head up and glared at him, "I am not! I'm just getting something for the girls."

"I better not find out you showed those pics to anyone other than Connie and Lula." He teased, tugging at one of my curls. "Or I'll have to punish you."

"Punish me?" I said, "Like ground me to my room for a week?"

"No. I'll tell your mother you're expecting." He grinned wide, knowing he had me backed into a corner.

"You wouldn't dare!" I hissed, eyes narrow and teeth clenched.

"Blackmail. It's a wonderful thing." He sing-songed and scooted away from me as fast as he could down the hall.

Manny shook his head, eyes still glued to the monitor, "Damn, Wifey. He's got you over a barrel now doesn't he."

Binky snickered, "In her case it'll be over his knee." I threw a half empty box of paperclips at his head. It ricochetted off and landed on the floor. "Ouch! Bomber that hurt!"

"Next time keep your comments to yourself Binky!" I stormed out of the room, hell bent on getting even with Evan. I tracked him down in at his desk.

"What the hell? Blackmail? That's low even for you Evan." I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of his desk hard.

"Angel. I'd never do that to you. Besides, you'd get even with me in a heartbeat." I smiled knowing I was pretty good at getting confidential info on our coworkers and using it to my advantage.

"Yeah. You wouldn't stand a chance." I kissed his cheek and headed back to my desk to finish my searches.

A/N: Please R&R.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Janet's characters. Not making any money either. **

**Chapter 5**

The next two weeks flew by, between all the calls between myself and the wedding vendors, as well as working in the office doing searches, I was exhausted. I was dozing on the couch in the living room with TV on when Evan returned from a sulveilance shift. I sleepily gazed at the clock and noticed it was already 2215. I yawned and stretched my arms up high. "Daddy, Peanut and I are tired. Are you coming to bed soon?"

Evan kissed the top of my head as he walked behind the couch towards the bathroom. "Yeah. Let me clean up and I'll be in soon." I dragged my butt off of the couch and slid between the covers on the bed. I snuggled in and sighed. "Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too Angel." He replied from the bathroom. I could hear the water running in the sink, and I heard a hiss come from him. Unsure as to what was going on, I got up and stood at the bathroom door to watch him. Evan stood in front of the mirror brushing his teeth, and winked at me when he saw my reflection. A large bandage covered his upper right chest, and my eyes flitted between the bandage and his eyes. His head slumped as he quietly said, "No, I didn't get hurt. This isn't Bobby's handiwork."

I reached out and gently touched his arm. "Are you okay? What happened?" Concern covered my face, worried that he was down playing an injury.

"After lunch today the guys and I got tattoos." My mouth fell open.

"Tattoos?"

"Yeah. Lester thought it would be a great idea to get tattoos, to commemerate our wedding."

"Why?" I asked, completely puzzled as to why Lester would suggest such a thing.

"Because. We're stupid men." He reached for the bandage. "Want to see it?"

I cringed, "I guess." I shut my eyes tightly as he tugged the bandage off.

"Okay you can look now Angel." I looked and over his heart was an image of Wonder Woman sporting her lasso of truth, angel wings and holding an old cartoon style bomb with a lit fuse. The name ANGEL was artistically scrolled under the image. I burst out laughing and shook my head.

"Now I've seen everything. Evan you are completely nuts. You know that?" He smiled and nodded his head. "But I love you anyway. Thank you for the tattoo, it's the sweetest thing. But just so you know I'm laying into Lester tomorrow morning for even suggesting it."

"Yes, Angel." Evan replied and took my hands in his. I kissed him and pulled him into the bedroom. We snuggled up together spooning as we fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up early and waited for the guys in the gym. Lester and Bobby came in first and by the look in my eyes they came over and sat quietly on the floor stretching. Soon after Hal, Cal, Tank and Ranger filed in. "Excuse me gentlemen. May I have a word?" I asked with fire in my eyes. They looked between themselves and knew I had found out about the tattoos. "I want to see them."

"Babe..." Ranger began to say.

I cut him off. Hands on my hips, I glared at them all standing there. "I want to see them, NOW! Line up. Every single one of you." They grumbled and lined up, even Ranger. I turned to Lester. "Lester Ernesto Santos! What in the hell were you thinking?" I screeched. Both Cal and Hal snickered at my use of Les's middle name. "Calvin Spencer and Halton Walter what are you laughing at?" They sobered up in an instant after hearing their middle names. "I can't believe you talked these idiots into getting tattoos." I gestured my hand down the line of sullen men.

"Beautiful, we did it because..."

"What? Because you're idiots?" I snapped at him. I had assumed full rhino mode by now, and the gym had cleared out except the Core Team.

"No. Because we love you and wanted a piece of you with us where ever we go."

"Where are they?"

"Where?"

"Yes, Lester. Are they all in the same spot?" I tapped my foot with impatience. "WHERE?"

Lester looked between himself and the guy, with a sigh they all removed their shirts. I do have to say that the line up of bare, well muscled chests would have normally put my into near cardiac arrest, but today, I was in no mood. I noticed they all had bandages over their hearts like Evan. I walked over to Lester, and none too gently, ripped the bandage and tape off in one quick motion. The other guys cringed and sighed knowing their fate was to match Lester's. I saw the image of the old cartoon bomb with lit fuse with the name Beautiful scrolled through the center of the bomb and tiny hearts were sparks emitted from the fuse.

I threw my head back and laughed, still laughing I stepped to the right and yanked Bobby's bandage off. His tattoo was exact in every way except he had Bomber written across the bomb. Both Hal and Cal's tattoo's were exact copies of Bobby's. When I stepped up to Tank I frowned. I stepped away and grabbed a step stool I use to reach the pullup bars. I dropped it onto the floor in front of him with a loud thud. I stepped up and ripped his bandage way. The very same bomb was over his heart as well. The name Babygirl was over the bomb and leaning against the bomb was a little brown and tan blob. I looked closer trying to figure it out when he sighed and told me, "It's a peanut." I looked from the tattoo to his eyes, and I almost cried. Almost. I steeled myself from my feelings and stepped off of the stool.

I stood toe to toe with Ranger, almost afraid to reach out and see what he had inked onto his chest. "Ranger I didn't know you did tattoos other than your Army Ranger tattoo on your arm." I looked down at the ground afraid of what he would say.

He sighed and shook his head. "Babe. I don't. But this was special." He raised my chin with his finger. "Babe. We all did this because we love you more than life itself." He reached down and peeled the bandage off revealing his brand new ink. A cracked Batman logo encircled the cartoon bomb emblazened with the name Babe. Above the image was the quote, "You are the Eliza Dolittle to my Henry Higgins." My hand clapped over my mouth, as I held back the tears, because under the image were the words: Mi CORAZON SIEMPRE. My knees buckled, I slumped to the floor and I wept openly. I curled up into a ball and refused to be consolled. Bobby gave me a quick evaluation and deemed me okay.

"Ranger man, what did you get?" Bobby asked him as he patted my back. "You never did show us."

"Brown, It's personal. I will only share it with her." He nodded in my direction. "It was for her as much as me."

"It must be one hell of a tattoo Bossman." Tank exclaimed. He knelt down and picked my up in his arms cradling my against his massive chest. "Come on Babygirl. Let's get you up and get you something to eat. It'll make you feel better." I nodded and dried my tears on his shirts.

"Tank. Peanut and I love you, too." He blushed and carried me out of the gym and up to his office. When he seated me on the couch, the door closed to onlookers, with a bowl of fruit and granola cereal in front of me, he finally relaxed into his chair with a sigh.

"Babygirl. His tattoo must have really rocked you. Are you Oaky?"

"Yeah. I'm okay." I shoved a spoonful of fruit into my mouth and chewed moaning. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Tank, I'm sorry. I don't mean to do that. It just happens." I apologized. "Did it make you pop a woody?" I teased, knowing he would blush.

Sure enough he did, "Babygirl!" He huffed out, then softened, "Yeah. I can't help it." I smiled and shook my head.

"Henry Higgins." I said.

"What? Who's Henry Higgings?"

"You know, My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn."

"Yeah. So?"

"When Ranger and I first met a the diner he told me I would be 'the Eliza Dolittle to his Henry Higgins'. That's part of what he had on his chest."

"You're kidding?" He looked shocked. "Well, I'll be damned. Bossman is a sentimental guy."

"I don't want anyone else knowing, but I know I can talk about it with you. I can draw it for you."

"Sure, Babygirl, if you want to. I won't tell anyone." So I drew the tatoo down to the last detail I could remember and turned the sketch around for Tank to see. He sucked in a breath, "Babygirl. I'm sorry. I didn't know he still loved you that much." He appologised. "I knew he still loved you, I just didn't know how deeply. Are you okay with it?"

"Yeah. A part of me will always love him, but my heart belongs to Evan now. He knows that." I sighed unsure if Evan would understand the true meaning behind Ranger's tattoo. Yeah, there was the quote and my heart forever emblazened across his heart, but it wasn't what was written that was the true meaning, it was the image. He would love me forever, as our relationship had been his one last chance at love. He would never open his heart to another woman for the rest of his life. The crack in the batman logo had assured me of that. "Sometimes I have regrets that I didn't try to wait him out longer. But then I realize he couldn't love me the way he wants to, he's too far gone to let that happen. I'm sad because I know he loves me, but he won't let himself be happy. He's too scared." A lone tear rolled down my cheek. "Tank, am I wrong?"

"No, Babygirl. He's scared alright. You terrified him to death, but I don't think he'll ever get over you completely. He loves you too damn much, and wants for you to be happy." Tank explained, watching me. "But it doesn't matter anymore. You are marrying Ram and you have Peanut." He knelt down and patted my tummy. He kissed my stomach, placed his head in my lap and spoke, "Hey there Peanut. This is Unky Tank. Make sure you don't kick Mommy too much okay? Love you little one." I smiled and rubbed his bald head as he relaxed with his head in my lap.

I spent the rest of the day holed up in my cubicle, hiding from the world. I wanted nothing more than to sweep all my unresolved feelings under the rug and move on with my life. But I knew if I didn't deal with them now, I would be haunted for the rest of my life. I planned on having a talk with Ranger. I knocked on his office door and waited for his answer. "Enter."

I cautiously opened the door and found Ranger talking with Tank. "Oh, uh... I can come back later." I spun around to leave but felt a warm hand on my arm stopping me.

"Babe. Tank was just leaving." Tank rose and strode out the door gently closing it behind his massive frame. "Babe?"

"Ranger. Sit down. We need to talk." He lowered himself onto the plush leather couch, and patted the cushion beside him. "I am having problems with unresolved feeling for you." I explained as I sank down next to him. I leaned against his warm body, absorbing not only the heat, but strength as well. "I have to work them out before I marry Evan."

"Babe. I'm sorry if my tattoo brought up anything that makes you upset." He played with my fingers, running his hands over mine. "What is it that's bothering you?"

"I don't know if I can marry Evan knowing how much you still love me, Ranger. It breaks my heart to see you so unhappy." I sighed and tried not to look him in the eyes.

"Babe. I don't think you should stop you marriage to Ram. He's a good man and he loves you as much as I do." He cringed as he added, "If not more."

I raised my eyes to his and nodded with a smile. "I know. I love him so much, but I love you too. I'm so confused."

"Babe. It's hard for me to talk about this, but for your peace of mind I will try to tell you as much as I can." He offered rubbing the base of my neck with his hand.

"Why couldn't you marry me?" I asked simply. "Why couldn't you give yourself to me completely?"

He sighed, leaned his elbows on his knees and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Babe. I have seen things and done things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I have killed people in ways you can't even imagine. When I did that, I had to close myself off from reality. I became someone else. Each time I came back from a mission it became harder and harder to switch back to my old self. After a while, it just stopped happening. I couldn't switch back, I was stuck." I watched as the turmoil raged against his face. "Once I reached a certain point, I didn't want to switch back, and stopped trying. But then, I met you. I started to feel things I hadn't felt in years. Love, trust, acceptance. They were something I had to relearn, and you were the teacher. You brought me back as far as I think I can go."

He started to blink rapidly, as I noticed tears fighting to emerge from his eyes. "I had allowed myself to void all my emotions, to brush them off as nothing more than fluff. When you came into my life, it all came back. I knew I loved you the day I met you, I just didn't know it. Over the years, we had our ups and downs, but I never stopped loving you. You brought me to a point in my life, where if you had been any other woman I would have left. But I couldn't do that to you." The tears rolled freely down his cheeks, unchecked. "I am at an immpass. I am stuck, unable to move forward because I am afraid."

"Carlos. What are you afraid of?" I asked stroking his face with my hand.

"Of losing you completely and dying of a broken heart." He slumped down into my lap, sobbing. Tank opened the door, saw Ranger in my lap crying and quickly closed the door, locking it behind him.

"Carlos. I will love you to the day I die. That will never change. I have loved you for years, and suffered because I thought I was never good enough for you."

He shook his head, no. "Babe, you were the one I thought was too good for me. I was the ghetto rat, you were the girl from the Berg. It made no sense, but I still loved you. I used to sneak into your apartment almost every night you were home and watch you sleep." He smiled slightly, and chuckled. "Even when you used to have those really steamy dreams about me. You know you talk more in your sleep about that stuff than when you're awake?"

I blushed and shook my head. "It was bad?"

"Babe. There were nights you were so bad, I laid down next to you and you made love to me in your sleep." I stopped, shocked at his admission. "You called out my name, kept asking for me to join you in bed. I couldn't stop myself. We made love eighteen times in our first two years of knowing each other, Babe."

"I thought it was only the one time when you collected your debt for the whole DeCooch thing." I shook my head trying to wrap my head around the new information.

"Babe. How do you think I knew exactly what you liked?" He asked, head tilted to the side slightly, tears still drying on his cheeks.

"Oh, Carlos. I didn't know." I was shocked. I had made love to a man in my sleep for two years and never knew. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt sooner."

"Babe. It wouldn't have mattered. I still am emotionally stuck. Stuck. I can't move forward, I don't want to move backwards, so here I sit, in the middle." He grasped my hands in his, he kissed my hands. "Babe. I can't lose you or I will die inside. But I know I can never give you what your heart needs. A whole heart. A loving heart. A peaceful heart. So, I had to let you go, so you can find the one person who does love you with their whole heart. A loving heart. A peaceful heart."

I cried tears for the both of us individually, for us as a failed couple and for us as two soul mates unable to connect fully. "Carlos. I know that was the hardest thing you have ever done in your life. You put my happiness before yours. I will always remember that." I squeezed his hands in mine. "I never thought I could find someone who loved me, for me. Not only did I find that once, I found it twice. You love me, Carlos. Evan loves me. I know I am the luckiest woman alive, to have two such wonderful men love me so much. I can't begin to imagine how you were able to let go and allow me to find Evan. But I can never thank you enough. Carlos, we owe you our lives together."

"Babe. No price." He answered, warmly.

"No, Carlos. You're wrong. There was a price. You're shot at happiness. It makes me sad to know you stand by and watch me be so happy with Evan. It makes me feel guilty, like I don't deserve to be happy if you are so miserable without me." I rested my forehead against his, I felt his warm breath brush past my face.

"Babe. It makes me happy to see you happy." He placed his hand over Peanut. "For years I imagined our child growing in your belly. I could imagine our children running around here driving the men crazy. But to know you are pregnant now, makes it better than I had dreamed. I know I can spoil my nieces and nephews and send them home full of sugar, so Mommy can deal with it." He smiled. "I will be there when my niece goes out on her first date, right next to her father and other uncles. I will be there when my nephew makes the final reception that wins the homecoming game. I want to be the one to gather your children around at my feet when I am old and frail, and tell them stories of a brave princess who always blew up her horse and carriage." He teased, bumping my shoulder with his. "I am happy to be part of the family, Babe. Whether i am your husband or Ram. We are family, because we chose to be. All of the men here at Rangeman are your family. We love you and want you to be happy. When you are happy, we are happy." He shrugged, "What can I say? We're men. We have simple needs."

I laughed and hugged him close. "Carlos. Although we may never come together again, I still consider you my soul mate." I kissed him on the lips and rose to me feet.

"I do too Quierda." I unlocked Ranger's door and walked out of his office a woman free to love and marry Evan.

A/N: Please R&R.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Janet's characters nor do I make any money from this story.**

**Chapter 6**

Two weeks until the wedding and I am stressed out beyond my comprehension. I have developed a nervous habit of chewing on the ends of my pens, so now all I have to write with are mangled pieces of plastic I used to call pens. Lester and Bobby both have given me lectures about de-stressing and relaxing, but as with most, it went in one ear and out the other. They gave up lecturing me after a week and eventually just came by often and gave me back and neck massages. I mellow out and I stop chewing pens after them, usually. But this morning, for some reason, I can't calm down. Evan and I leave for the ranch in a week, I still haven't nailed down the final music list and now I am popping tums like skittles.

"Bomber! Stop for a minute! Will you STOP?" Bones yelled at me. I halted my pacing, I had been placed on hold with the office supply company for the third time and i was pissed. "Bomber. You're going to wear a hole into the carpet, slow down and relax."

"I can't this asshole put me on hold again. Can you believe it? I really..." I stopped and heard someone come back on the line, "Yes, This is Stephanie from Rangeman... No I will not hold! You've put me on hold three ti... DAMN IT!" I threw the phone against the wall of Tank's office, it shattered into twenty different pieces. I flopped down into my chair and hung my head in my hands. "God Damn Son-of-a-bitch!" I could feel my pulse in my neck, knowing my blood pressure was through the roof.

Tank stuck his head out of the door cautiously, "Babygirl. Bobby's office now!" I threw him my best Berg glare, sending him scurrying back into his office. Grumbling, I stalked down to Bobby's office, threw open the door and walked in on him giving himself a shot in the ass.

He grinned and asked me, "Bomber will you please help me? I always have a hard time doing this." I walked over, grasped the syringe in my hand and took a good look at his perfectly sculpted ass cheek. I bit my bottom lip and prayed to God that I never forgot this moment in time. "Slowly depress the plunger. You have to give it time to absorb into the muscle." I did as I was told, finally I had the plunger all the way to the bottom. "Now, pull the needle straight out." I jerked it out and held onto it for dear life as I watched him pull his cargo pants up and over his perfect ass cheek. "Bomber. You can throw the syringe into the sharps container on the wall." He pointed to a red box mounted to the wall, and I tossed it in.

"Uh, Bobby. Can I ask you a favor?" I felt a little green, as my stomach began to turn.

"Sure, Bomber. What is it?"

"Never let me do that again." I turned and ran to his bathroom and managed to puke up everything I had eaten for the whole day. I felt Bobby's hands holding my hair as I emptied my stomach. I stood dazed, when he handed me a disposable cup of water to rinse my mouth out. He stepped out of the bathroom and into the exam room to give me some privacy. After I had rinsed my mouth and splashed cool water onto my face, I headed out to face Bobby.

"Bomber, you don't do needles well, I forgot. I'm sorry." He apologized. "I forgot I had to have one of my boosters today, thank for the help."

"No problem." I choked out remembering his cute tight ass.

"You know why Tank sent you down here?" He asked, quizzing me.

"I threw a phone at the wall when a jackass put my on hold for the fourth time in a row." I huffed out, remembering why I was pissed in the first place.

"No, he said you looked like you were going to stroke out on us. Let me take your BP." He picked me up and sat me down on the exam table. He fixed a BP cuff onto my arm and inflated it while listening with the stethoscope. He shook his head as he deflated the cuff. "It's 159 over 99. That's WAY too high for you in your condition. You need to stop stressing out so much." He narrowed his eyes, "Do I have to call Ram and Ranger?"

"NO! I'll be good Bobby. I promise. I just need to get this wedding over with, it's making me nuts!"

He chuckled, "Yeah. I can see that." He patted my hand. "Please, go lie down for a while. It will help to stabilize your BP."

"Alright. I'm tired anyway. I could use a nap." I admitted. Before I turned to walk out, I asked him, "Bobby, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." He answered, his back to me while he cleaned up his mess from his shot.

"Am I okay at this stage to ride a horse?" I fumbled with a lollipop I had plucked from his candy jar, turning it over in my fingers.

He looked up momentarily, as he finished writing and update in his own file. "As far as I know you're okay. Plan on taking Comfort for a ride?"

"Yeah, I think it will help me de-stress before the wedding. I'm going to need all the help I can get. Between my mother and Momma, I'm in for a bumpy ride."

He snickered, "Yeah, at least you don't have to worry about getting pregnant on the honeymoon." He smiled at me with a wide grin. "Ram took care of that problem a while ago."

"Yeah, he sure did." I smiled and patted my tummy.

"Don't forget, is coming here for your last check up before the wedding in two days. He'll be here at 1330. Don't be late!"

"Sir, yes, Sir." I saluted, turned on my heels and strode out of the exam room. After I made my way back to my cubicle, I shut my computer down and ran into Vince. "Vince!" I hugged him tight, "Back from Miami I see. All tan and hot looking." I fanned myself in mock response to how hot he was.

"Hey, Bomber. What's this I hear about you getting married to Ram?" He asked me in a low tone.

"Yup. Evan and I are getting married in two weeks." I kissed his cheek. "And I am soooo excited!" I bounced around sporting a huge grin for a couple of seconds to prove how happy I was. "And you wanna know the best part?"

He shook his head still shocked at the mention of my impending nuiptuals. "What can be better than you getting married?"

"You're going to be an uncle!" I shouted at him. His liquid brown eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted dead away onto the floor. I grabbed my phone, and called Bobby. "BROWN. Medical on 5, Vince just passed out."

"Be there in 30 seconds." I snapped the phone shut, threw it onto the floor and tried to slap Vince awake. Bobby arrived exactly 30 seconds later with his kit. He waved the smelling salts under his nose and in a few seconds he was awake and somewhat alert. "Bomber, you told him didn't you?" Bobby admonished me.

"Yeah." I sighed, "I hate it when you guys pass out like that. You're the third one in two months." I teased Vince.

"Baby Bomber. How?" He asked.

"Well, you see... when a man and a woman really love each other..." I started reciting my mother's bird's and the bee's speech.

"NO, Smart Ass! How did you and Ram and the baby all happen?"

"You've been away for three months! Did you expect things to be the same when you got back? Evan and I have been engaged two months and one week tomorrow." I shrugged and patted my tummy, "Peanut just happened. But we're both ecstatic. I'm surprised you didn't hear anything. I was sure Lester called all the offices and spilled the beans." I chuckled smoothing a lock of his jet black hair out of his eyes. "You better get up before Ranger finds out." I helped him to his feet when we heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Finds out what?" Ranger stood arms crossed over his chest, a scowl across his face.

I slid a sideways glance at Vince before I blurted out, "I just told Vince he's going to be an uncle, and he had a slight mental malfunction." I giggled and patted him on the back. Ranger gave an almost smile, shook his head and walked back to his office.

"Vince, you better let Evan know you're back. He's missed hanging out with you." I turned and waltzed into my cubicle. I shut down my computer, grabbed my gun out of my drawer, a fixed it into my belt and headed to bed.

An hour later my phone rang, still groggy from sleep, I grabbed it and answered it while my head was still under the covers. "Yo."

"Beautiful. I just ran into Bobby. He told me about your blood pressure. Do you want me to come up and hang with you for a while." Lester asked, concern filled his voice.

Trying not to alarm him, "I'm alright. I'm just dozing a little. I was getting ready to have a snack, you can come and join me if you want." I offered, as I threw the covers back.

"Unlock the door, Beautiful." He asked, as I heard a soft knock on the door.

"Les. You worry too much." I stated as I snapped the phone shut. The door swung open to reveal Les standing at my door carrying two huge bags of groceries. "What's all this?" He slipped past me and into the kitchen.

"Ram offered to have a couple of the guys over to hang out after our shifts end. He said Vince is back, and he wanted to reconnect with his old partner." He started to unload the bags. Gallon of milk, cheese, fruit, beer, chips, diet sodas, ginger tea, a couple of boxes of frozen egg rolls and Oreos. I grabbed an apple and bit into it as he put the food away into the fridge. "I offered to bring snacks for tonight. Plus, any night where we can relax with a good pizza is a good night."

"Sounds like fun. I miss hanging with you guys anyway. I was just planning on having crackers for dinner, so pizza sounds good."

"Beautiful, how can Peanut grow big and strong on crackers?" He grabbed an apple as well and took a bit bite. Talking with his mouth full, "He o she cud be hungwee."

"Huh?"

He swallowed hard, "He or she could be hungry." He opened the drawer next to the land line and pulled out the menu for Pino's. "What kind do you want?"

I stared at the name on the menu and froze. I had a flashback of the shooting. I could see the bullet leave the gun and pierce Morelli, a small stain of blood began to spread from the hole that had been punctured into his chest. I shuddered, and felt sick. I jumped up and ran into the bathroom just in time to throw up. Lester ran in behind me and held my hair as I emptied what little I had in my stomach. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and rinsed my mouth out. As I brushed my teeth, Les leaned against the door frame and watched me. He frowned, "Have you puked often?"

I shook my head, no. "No. Only a couple of times. I haven't been plagued with morning sickness, thank GOD! It's just some things make me queasy now. I puked earlier today when I had to give Bobby a shot." I made a face and shuddered.

His face lit up, "You gave Bobby his shot?" He almost doubled over with laughter. "I can only imagine where he put it this time."

"In his ass." I stated flatly, dropping my toothbrush back into the cup on the sink. I brushed past him and walked back into the front room. "He was getting his booster, and had a hard time reaching around. So he asked me to help him out. I was fine until I realized I had just injected something into his body. It made me nauseous, and I managed to make it into his bathroom." I sank into my thoughts, the vision of Bobby's hard toned ass was a woman's dream.

"Beautiful, I'll be sure to let him know you said that." Lester teased.

"Shit!" I clapped my hands over my mouth and winced. "Please, Les. Don't tell him." I begged.

"Alright. Only if you promise to relax more." He frowned and wagged his finger at me. I nodded and held up my right hand in promise.

We settled into the couch to watch TV until the guys arrived. During a commercial, I casually asked Les a question that had plagued me for a while. "Hey, Les can I ask you something?"

He shifted slightly to look at me in the eyes, "What, Beautiful?"

"What's a MILF?"

His face switched from concerned to pure amusement. "Beautiful. Where did you hear that?" He was trying hard not to laugh.

"Hal called me a MILF." I told him, watching his reaction. He fell over and rolled onto the floor holding his sides, as the air rang with his deep and rich laughter. "What? Is it something bad?" I asked afraid I was going to have to kick Hal's ass for teaching me another curse word.

After Les had managed to go from unstoppable fits of laughter to tired giggles, he patted my knee. "Beautiful... you are a MILF!" He rubbed his hands over his face, before he continued, "I am so going to use this against Hal."

"Lester! What is it?" I pouted and crossed my arms across my chest.

"Don't worry, it's not a bad thing. In fact it's a compliment I know every man in this building would agree with." He gave me a devilish smile and explained, "It mean's you're a Mom I'd like to Fuck! MILF." My jaw dropped and I sat there flabbergasted by the term. I guess I could be offended and kick the shit out of Hal, but deep down I knew that it was a term they wouldn't use lightly with regards to me.

"I'm a MILF." I started to giggle, but before long I was laid out on the couch doubled over in laughter. "MILF! MILF!" Lester was rolling along side me on the floor, when Evan and a bunch of guys walked in.

"What the hell is going on?" Evan shouted over the sound of the giggles.

I stopped long enough to squeak out, "I'm a MILF!" I had tears streaked down my cheek and was red in the face. Hal blanched at my words and began to back out of the room slowly. Evan noticed Hal's movement and stopped him with his voice, "Hal. Stay." He turned back to me, "What did you say?" His words came out slow and quiet.

I noticed the change in his voice and wrangled myself in as best I could. "I'm... a ...MILF!" Bobby, Cal, Vince, Manny and Bones stood right inside the door and chuckled silently behind their fisted hands. Hal turned a sickly shade of green, and Evan stood there turning bright red from anger.

"Angel! What the hell? Who called you a MILF?" Evan grabbed my arms and held me up. His eyes narrowed and darkened to a deep intense green. I looked to Hal hoping I wouldn't get him into trouble, but I didn't have to say a word. My subtle glance at him gave Evan all the info he needed. He turned and stood in Hal's personal space. "Hal. Want to explain why you called my Angel a MILF?"

Hal steeled himself against his fear and stood a little straighter and a little taller. "I told her a few weeks ago. I meant no harm by it. But I meant it, Ram. She's the hottest mom I know. You know she's the object of desire for all of us here, but you also know not one of us would ever make a move, Man. I love her and wouldn't have told her if didn't think she could handle it. I'm sorry, Ram."

I hurried to move myself between Evan and Hal, putting my arms on each of their chests holding them apart. "STOP!" I shouted, worry in my voice. "I can't have you both fighting over some stupid shit Hal said." I turned to Evan pulling his face down to look me in the eyes. "Baby. Hal was just joking. I didn't know, I had to ask Lester what it meant. That's what you walked in on. I just found out now what meant." I saw his face soften and relax. "I am not offended. I think it's funny. Baby. Please don't let this get between you two." He hung his head, and wrapped me into a hug.

"Angel. I can't have the guys calling you that." He whispered into my ear. "You're the mother of my child. And you are all mine." I pulled back, a smile played across my lips.

"Baby. I'm yours, all yours." I stepped out of his embrace and did a little turn showing off my body. "But come on, I'm hot!" I started to giggle again. The guys watched in fascination as they witnessed me pull Evan out of a potentially bad situation. He chuckled and shook his head in surrender.

He stuck his hand out to Hal, "Man, I'm sorry for losing my cool. But no more MILF talk, okay?"

Hal shook Evans hand and agreed, "Sure man." Hal slapped his arm over Evan's shoulder and shouted out to Lester, "Damn, Santos! Where's my beer Bitch!" Lester walked over to the fridge, pulled out two six packs and threw one at Hal. Catching it midair, Hal popped the top and took a long drink.

I drank my bottled water and watched the guys as they blew off steam watching Monday Night Football. Two teams battled it out on the gridiron, as the men cheered or sneered at each play, I noticed Les watched me. I jerked my head towards the kitchen, got up and leaned against the counter. "Hey, you order the pizza's. I still can't do it." I admitted to him.

In a low voice, he asked, "You still having nightmares?"

Shocked, I looked at him wondering how he could know that. "How did you know?"

"I had nightmares after my first... uh, you know," he refrained from saying the word kill, "I had them for a while afterwards. You know you can talk to me about it if you need to. Right?"

"I'll let you know. I prefer to remain in denial land." I wiped an imaginary smudge off of the counter.

"Well, just so you know, Beautiful."

"Thanks Les."

A half hour later I received a call from Woody at the front desk, "Hey, Bomber. Your pizza's are here. You want to send one of the guys to come get them?"

"Naw. I'll be down in a sec." I grabbed my purse and headed down to the Lobby. I walked into the Lobby and found the delivery guy waiting with six pizzas. I paid him, grabbed the pies and struggled to hit the elevator button. Woody came to my rescue and hit it for me, "Bomber, I hope you plan on sharing those." He grinned, "I've heard of cravings while pregnant, but this is ridiculous." He teased me as he shook his head.

"Ha, ha. Real funny Woody." I joked back, giving him a one finger salute. "Later gator!" The doors closed and I ascended to 4.

I kicked the door to get someone to let me in and was greeted by Cal. "Hey, Bomber." He grabbed the pizza boxes and carried them in for me. He placed them onto the coffee table and flipped open the first box to reveal a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. My mouth watered and I reached in, grabbed two pieces and resumed my position in my favorite recliner. Setting the plate of pizza on my lap, I nibbled on my slices and enjoyed the extra cheese.

When Cal flipped the second box open and reached in to grab his slice, he froze. "Ram." Evan looked up from the TV to see a piece of paper taped inside the top of the box.

"FUCK!" He yelled, before snatching his phone up and dialing. "You better get down here. We have a situation that needs your attention. And you better call Ranger." He snapped the phone shut, and moved the pizza box to the counter.

I went to get up but was stopped by Manny's hand on my shoulder. "Wifey, you better stay right here," he ordered.

"Is it bad?" I asked, nervous as to what it was.

"You don't want to see this yet," he warned me, "It's bad."

I bit my lower lip as I watched Evan frown and start pacing. He stopped his monotonous walking to drop down by my side. "Angel. Who, outside of Rangeman, did you tell you were pregnant?" His eyes searched mine, serious and determined.

"No one. Why?" I started to get scared. Was this about the baby? My hands instinctually covered my belly, and I started to cry. "Evan is this about the baby?"

"I'm not sure, Angel. But I'm afraid it's not good." He smoothed my hair and kissed the top of my head just as a knock sounded at the door.

Hal opened the door allowing Tank and Ranger to enter. "Report." Ranger barked. Evan pointed out the pizza box and explained that I had gone down to get the pizza in the lobby earlier. Ranger flipped the box open and sucked in a breath before his eyes darkened in anger. His blank face slammed down and I could tell he was having a hard time not putting his fist through the wall. "Manny. Get this down to your lab. Hal, get your chem kit and meet him there. Cal, Vince get down to Pino's and find out who's working. Interview them all, get their surveilence tapes as well. Brown, Santos get downstairs. Talk to Woody, see what he can remember about the delivery guy. Tank you start talking with the men here in the building, find out who said something to someone who wasn't in-house." He turned to Evan, "Ram you stay with her, keep her occupied, and keep her here in the building." He walked towards the door, "I'm headed to talk to Juniak."

"STOP!" I screamed. "What the hell is going on?" I was standing, red in the face, hands fisted at my side and extremely pissed. "No one goes anywhere until someone tells me what the hell is going on!" I crossed my arms over my chest and stomped my foot for good measure.

"Angel."

"Don't you Angel me, Evan Michael Ramsey!" I ground out, "You tell me right now, or... or... the wedding is off!" Evan looked as if I had slapped him and hung his head as he surrendered to my demands.

"Babe..."

"Don't you Babe me either, Ricardo Carlos Manoso!" I stared directly into his chocolate brown eyes, daring him to fight me on my demands. "You are going to tell me what the FUCK is going on or I am leaving." I crossed my arms again, waiting them out. After Ranger sighed, he caved like a cheap tin can. "Now both of you spill it, NOW!"

"Angel. Look in the box." He sat on the couch, lowered his head into his hands and remained quiet. Ranger walked over to stand by me as I walked over to the kitchen counter and the box. He used a pencil from a cup under the phone to flip the top open. I gasped at what he revealed. Inside the box, a photo of me walking out of the dress shop was taped to the underside of the top of the box. Using a red marker, the psycho had drawn a sniper's cross-hairs over my head. The words, Bang bang she's dead! were written on the top of the page. Laying in the middle of the cheese pizza was a single bullet, etched into the brass casing was my name.

"Babe, this," he pointed to the bullet, "is why we are so cautious. We can't afford to take any risks with you or Peanut." I sank onto the couch next to Evan, allowing his arms to envelope me. The warmth and strength he exuded comforted me, I held my arms protectively over my middle as I cried into Evan's chest. He picked me up in his arms and carried me to our bed. Laying me down, he climbed up and snuggled next to me. We held onto each other for hours, as I heard the other guys come and go, before I fell asleep.

I drifted out of a dreamless sleep, my eyes remained closed, enjoying the darkness and quiet, when I heard near silent footsteps on my carpeted floor. "She's not going to like this." I heard the first voice whisper not too far from my ear.

"She won't know." The second voice countered. "She sleeps like the dead."

"I don't know. She'll kick my ass if she finds out I let you do this." I felt a slight twinge on my left arm, a moment later I sank back into the darkness.

A/N: Please R&R.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Janet's characters nor do I profit from them.**

**Chapter 7**

Evan brushed a stray hair out of my face and brushed his lips across mine. My eyelids fluttered open, my baby blue eyes focused on his warm and loving face. I reached up and ran my hands over his high and tight blonde hair. "Hey. What time is it?" I croaked out, my throat was dry and my voice raspy.

"It's almost 1400." He smiled and asked, "You hungry, Sleeping Beauty?"

I stretched and yawned, "Yeah. I guess I was really tired." I rubbed my left arm and winced when I felt a sore spot. I gingerly touched the area and identified where it hurt. I suddenly remembered hearing voices in our room last night. I sat up quickly and glared at Evan. "Why did Bobby drug me last night?" I asked him accusingly. "Why?" I whined.

"Angel. With your BP being so high and the stress of last night, we wanted to make sure you didn't put Peanut in danger. Angel please believe me, we didn't want to, but we couldn't risk the baby. I'm sorry." He was on his knees next to the bed, his eyes were apologetic, as he begged for my forgiveness. "Angel, please forgive me." He laid his head onto my hands.

I wanted to yell at him, to scream, to wave my hands around and rant. But I determined that I had to put my feelings aside and concentrate on what was best for my baby. "Evan. I understand. I'm sorry I haven't done more to take better care of myself and the baby." I said, trying not to let my inner anger betray my words. I stroked his hands with mine and kissed the top of his bowed head. "I love you and the baby."

He raised his head slightly and kissed my knuckles one by one. Then he moved his head to kiss my belly. He whispered just loud enough I could make out what he said. "It's Daddy Peanut. I'm sorry about making you and Mommy sleep for so long, but you two need to rest. Mommy is going through so much, she is having a hard time relaxing. We love you and want you to grow up big and strong, so Mommy will do better. I'll do better too. I love you Peanut." He kissed my middle again and laid his head down on my lap. My heart melted and I rubbed his head with my hand.

In the shower I relaxed under the stream of warm water. Leaning my head against the cool tiles, I recalled the last few weeks and how stressed I had allowed myself to get. I knew I had to do something, and do it soon. I couldn't hurt my baby. Then the thoughts about last night flooded my head, the photo, the crosshairs, the bullet. Who sent it and why? I stood shivering against the wall until I heard Evan knock on the door. "Angel are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm getting out now," I responded. I turned off the now ice cold water, towel dried myself and wrapped my hair in a seperate towel. Walking out to the bedroom, I caught a glimpse of Lester sitting on the couch through the crack of the bedroom door. He was talking with Evan, who was pacing the living room floor. By the time I had dressed and walked, they sat waiting for me with Ranger.

"Angel. Sit down. We need to talk." In my world, the phrase 'we need to talk', never turned out well. It usually preceded something I would usually avoid. I timidly sat on the edge of the couch, my body tense. "Angel. I think we need to talk about the wedding." I sighed and looked at Les and Ranger. This did not bode well. "Angel. I think we need to leave for the Ranch a week early." I snapped my head up and smiled.

"Really?" I could feel tears fill my eyes. "But what about my shifts?"

"Babe. They're covered. You and Ram need to relax a little before the wedding. And being away from here should put you out of harms way concerning your stalker. And I'm sure Momma will be pleased as punch." Ranger smiled at his use of one of Momma's favorite phrases.

I jumped up and wrapped my arms around Evan, hugging him close. "I can't wait. But what about the dresses, and the tuxes, and the shoes, and the..."

Lester interrupted me, "Beautiful! Please! I'm the Man of Honor for a reason! Hello! I have it under control. Just go and relax. Trust me, Beautiful." He kissed my temple. "I will be there on Friday night. I'll bring everything I can think of and then some. Okay?"

"Okay." I smiled and giggled, "Okay!"

I hummed a lullaby from my childhood to myself, as I packed everything I would need to take for the wedding. Shoes, jewelry, make up, stockings, lingerie, nail polish, Evan's hog's tooth necklace, the green ribbon for my hair, and the small wooden box Momma had given me when we visited them. I squeezed the suitcase shut, jumped on top of it, holding it shut and latched the locks. I dragged it over to the door, and headed back to the bedroom for the next bag. By the time I had finished packing, I had four suitcases to go with us, two cases for Lester to bring on Friday, and two more for the honeymoon. And I didn't even count the garment bags holding my dress, the brides maids dresses and the three flower girl dresses for Angie, Mary Alice, and Lisa. Lester let himself into the apartment and whistled. "Beautiful, you know, you're only going to be gone for the wedding and honeymoon. No one said anything about having to move."

"Les, this is everything I'm going to need. Look, see those two bags there next to the wall? They are the bags you bring with you. They have all my bridal things for the wedding." I gave him a look that could have cut him in half, "You fail to bring those, I refuse to get married until someone comes and gets them. Understand?"

His gaze never shifted from me, "Beautiful. I won't forget them. I promise. Is there anything left for you to pack?" He walked into the bedroom and came right back out. "Wow! That's scary in there." I glanced behind him and frowned. In my efforts to pack what I needed I had torn the bedroom to shreds. Clothes lay in haphazard piles all over the room. To the untrained eye, it would appear as nothing more than pure chaos. But to those who's eyes are acutely tuned, it was organized and orderly. Each clothing item had it's own pile and each pile had they're own sub piles. "Are you always this messy when you pack?"

I sighed and frowned. Scooping up a pile of unpacked jeans, I walked to the closet to hang them up once again. "Yeah, unfortunately."

I turned to watch Lester grab a pile and head for my dresser, without thinking, I began to hang the jeans up. I heard a slight giggle come from the bedroom, I peeked out to see the back of Lester putting the clothing away. Something told me to check what he had selected to put away for me. Lester turned around holding a pair of my skimpy lace thongs with his finger. "Beautiful, please will you model these for me?" He begged dropping to his knees, hands in prayer. "If there is a God, Please let her model these for me!"

"Lester Santos! You perve! I show you my panties once and now you think I'm your personal lingerie model." I giggled, thinking back on the shopping trip where I had modeled lingerie for Evan, Lester and Bobby. It made my cheek flush pink and my face feel warm. "I think you better hang up my jeans instead. I'll handle my thongs."

"Damn!" He smiled, grabbed the jeans from my hands and headed to the closet.

"Lester?" I called, waiting for him to poke his head out of the walk in closet.

"Yeah, Beautiful?" He peeked out, to see me holding up a barely there lace bra and matching panty set.

"Remember these?" He grinned wide and nodded his head slowly.

"Oh, Yeah. Hard to forget." He leaned against the door frame. "I still have dreams about you modeling those for me."

"Well, just wait until you help me get into my gown, Les. I can barely wear anything under it." He swallowed hard and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Beautiful, you're killing me here."

I snickered, "You haven't seen anything yet. I have to wear a bustier because I can't have straps showing out the top of my dress. And now that my boobs are getting bigger, I need the support."

"God help me! She talking about boobs, bustiers and bras!" His face was looking upward, eyes closed, a strained look on his face. "Lord, help me!"

"Lester?" I teased, "Think you should have gone with the industrial strength zipper today. Yours looks like it's gonna burst." I giggled and backed away as an embarrassed Lester dropped his hands to cover the more than obvious bulge in his pants.

"Sorry Beautiful. I can't help it. You just do that to me." He avoided looking into my eyes, shuffling his feet. "Finding out you were pregnant, made this whole thing worse for me. I dream about you night and day. I know you don't have those feeling for me, but I can't help it, Beautiful." His chocolate brown eyes lifted and looked directly into mine. "I know you and Ram are getting married, but it doesn't make me love you any less." He pulled me into a hug. "Beautiful, I want you to know that I will protect you, Peanut and Ram with my life. I will always be there for you. I love you Stephanie."

Tear streaked down my cheeks, I felt flattered by Les's admission of his love, and I felt completely loved. "Oh, Les. I love you too." I wrapped my arms around his middle and kissed his cheek. After a minutes or so, we both noticed the awkward silence and gave nervous laughs. "Les, we better get this cleaned up or Evan will let me have it."

"You got it boss." We finished cleaning in under and hour and relaxed on the couch with cold drinks afterwards.

Evan walked in after his shift ended and stood in the middle of the room eying the pile of luggage stacked by the door. "Angel. You need all of this?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I had to make sure I had enough clothes, plus my make up, my hair stuff, shoes, and..." His eyes danced with laughter, "Well, I had to make sure I had everything I needed."

"Is there anything left in the closet?"

Lester chuckled, "Believe me, there's still more than half the closet left, Man."

"Well, Simon is waiting for us at the airfield, Ranger put him on standby. Are you ready to go yet, Angel?"

"Almost. I still need to call my mother, Connie, Lula, Val and..." I counted off on my fingers every time I mentioned a name. "Ella. I need to call Ella." I punched Ella's extension into the land line and waited for her to answer.

"Yes?"

"Ella. It's Steph. We're headed to Montana early."

"Stephanie. Ranger already told me. I will help Lester gather everything before he leaves, Dear. Just call me if you think of anything you may have forgotten. I will bring all the dresses with me next Thursday. Stephanie, I am so glad you and Ram are getting married. I feel like a nervous mother... two of my children are getting married!" I could hear tears in her voice.

"Ella. You have always been there for me when I needed you. To me, you are my Rangeman Mom." I could feel my throat tighten as I fought back tears.

"Dear, have a good time. Relax and enjoy. Lester and I will take care of everything here, you just go. We have everything under control."

"Thank you, Ella. Thank you." I gushed, knowing she would take care of everything, including Lester.

"You're welcome Dear. Now get going!"

"Yes, Mom!" I hung up laughing, knowing she was doing the same. "Well, I guess, I can call everyone else on the way to the plane."

"Angel, I already called your Mom and Val. They agreed that de-stressing before the wedding would be good for you. As for Connie and Lula, I think you should leave it to Tank. He's got a date with Lula again tonight and from what I heard he's bringing Bones along to keep Connie company." I giggled behind the back of my hand. I've known for a while that Connie has a thing for Bones and it appears to be reciprocated. He makes it a point to tag along with who ever gets the job to retrieve the Rangeman skip files at the bonds office, at least twice a week.

"Alright. Can you help me take these down to the SUV?" I asked pointing to the suitcases.

"Angel. I'll call in reinforcements." He pulled out his phone, flipped it open, and dialed. "Yo. I need help with some luggage." Without saying goodbye he snapped it shut. "Give them two minutes. they'll be here." I grabbed my purse, planner and a bottle of water and waited by the door. A moment later a knock sounded at the door and I opened it to find Woody, Manny and Tank waiting patiently.

"Babygirl, you think you really need four suitcases?" Tank teased as he carried one in each hand down the hall. I watched Manny and Woody each carry one and Evan caring his two.

"What? I need everything in those. You would understand if you were a woman." I retorted. "I can't be any worse than Lula."

"True." He chuckled, "Very true."

I rode the elevator down to the garage while the guys walked the stairs. I leaned against the SUV watching as they loaded the luggage. Ranger and Lester walked out of the gun range across the garage and made their way over to us. "Beautiful, are you all ready?" Les asked wrapping me into a massive hug.

"Yes, I think I got everything. If I forgot anything, I'll call." I twisted around to wrap my arms around Ranger. "Carlos. Thank you. I really needed this. When are you coming out to the ranch?"

"Babe. Security team and I will be there on next Tuesday. Simon will bring your family and the ladies the next day."

"Bossman, Pop had one of the old tractor sheds converted into a comm center. Had the power company install heavy duty lines last week, they should handle anything we throw at them."

"Ram, make her relax." He smiled at me and winked. "Babe. Listen to Ram. He'll help you to relax." He turned to Lester, "What day are you going?"

"Friday. I have to help Momma with a few things, Pop has a project for Ram and I, as well as trying to put together the Bachelorette party." He smiled wide. "I can't wait."

"Lester, what are you planning?" I asked nervously. I knew he was devilishly sly, and would try to spice things up a little. At that thought I blanched and blurted out, "Lester Santos! NO STRIPPERS, male or female!" I crossed my arms, narrowed my eyes and stared right into his brown eyes.

"You're no fun! You don't like guns, you don't like getting arrested, and you don't want strippers! Why don't we just go play bingo and hang out with your grandma?" He teased making a mock gesture of daubing bingo numbers.

"I hate strippers. You know that. And besides we'll still have fun without one. I'm expecting a fun time, Lester. Nothing less." I pulled the door open and climbed inside. Before I closed the door, I turned to Tank, Woody and Manny, "Take care of them guys. And please tell Zero I expect the office to still be here when I get back." I closed the door to a burst of laughter.

"Ram, man. You gonna have your hands full the next three weeks." Tank shook his head, and slapped him on the back. "Just remember, reinforcements don't arrive until Tuesday." He chuckled and held the door open for Evan. "Have a good flight, we'll be in touch if anything comes up." He said cryptically, giving Evan a nod.

We pulled out of the garage and headed to the airfield, with Manny driving. We sat in silence the entire ride, I enjoyed the quiet time to reflect on the last few hours. What did Lester have in mind for the Bachelorette party? What did Tank mean when he said he'd be in touch if anything came up? I didn't like it at all, my spidey sense was going haywire. I just knew something bad was going to happen and I was afraid because I didn't know what it was. Just as we pulled into the Rangeman hanger, I stopped Evan. "Baby. I think something is wrong."

"Something with the plane?" He asked, eying it suspiciously. "The guys gave it an all clear ten minutes ago."

Shaking my head, "I don't think so. It's just something doesn't feel right. I know something is going to happen I just don't know what or when."

"Angel. If your feelings start to get stronger, you let me know. Understand?" He held me in his arms, looking deep into my electric blue eyes.

"You'll be the first to know."

A/N: Please R&R


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Janet's characters, and I do not profit from them.**

**Chapter 8**

We boarded the plane, settling into our seats next to each other. Simon taxied out to the runway and lifted off. We were somewhere over Jersey, when I nodded off laying my head onto Evan's shoulder. Hours later we landed in Billings, and picked up our SUV. We stopped and picked up a quick drive through special for dinner and hit the road for the hour and a half journey to the ranch.

I turned the radio to an oldies station and leaned back to listen. Evan leaned forward and turned the music off. "Angel. I think you need to know what's been happening the last couple of days." I turned in my seat and remained quiet. "Manny only found the finger prints of the established employees at Pino's. No one else. There paper was standard grade, sold at hundreds of retailers. It appears that it was a photo copy of an original, and also untraceable. The tape was standard cellophane tape, no prints. He must have used gloves, and nothing else on the box at all. The delivery guy said some guy waited outside the restaurant and paid him $200 to slip an extra box into the pile for your order. The perp told the delivery guy it was for a practical joke, so he went along with it. The best description was that the guy was about 6 foot, light skin, deep voice, jeans, boots and a leather jacket."

I tried to focus on what Evan was saying. "I noticed that the words said 'she's dead', which means that this is meant to attack either myself or Ranger. The bullet was engraved by a professional, someone who has engraved for a long time. The strokes were even and smooth, not choppy like an apprentice. The bullet is a 150-grain round like I use for when I hunt elk with my .270 Winchester at the ranch."

I shifted slightly, "Is that important?" I stammered, "The grains, I mean."

He frowned, "It's not good. They're used to take down deer, elk and moose. A human would be nothing for these." I shivered, thinking about being a giant pink mist if someone shot me with one of those bullets.

"What did Juniack say to Ranger?" I asked quietly.

"Ranger talked him into keeping it quiet, for now. They're waiting until after the wedding to go full force on it. Juniack seems to think it's aimed at Ranger, but I'm not so sure." He hesitated a moment before he continued. "I think it was aimed at me."

"Evan..."

He held up his hand to stop me, "Angel listen to me. You and Ranger have been split for over nine months now. It's common knowledge that you aren't a thing anymore, just as it's common knowledge that we're getting married. I think my past has finally reared it's ugly head."

"Evan, I know you've done a lot of things that you can't talk about, but if there is something you can tell me, I think you better spill it." I placed my hand on his knee, reassuring him that I could handle the situation.

"Angel. I've killed a lot of high profile targets in and out of the country, mostly involving terrorists and drug cartels. I wish I give you more detailed info, but you don't have clearance. I'd like to tell you that all of my targets have been men, but that's not the case. I have had to take out a few women, and they weren't my proudest moments. I think there is one cartel in particular that Ranger is looking into, but I'm not sure it's going to pan out."

"Why not?"

"The head of the snake was removed and now it has no one leading it." He shrugged as if to say 'what can you do'.

"What if it's not you they're aiming for." I replied in a whisper. "What if it's been me all along. What if I'm the target, and they're just taunting you?"

"Angel. We just don't know at this point. I wish we did." He said flatly, "I want you to know I will protect you and Peanut with my life."

"I know Baby. I know you will." I patted his knee, feeling his frustration. We were silent the rest of the way to the ranch.

Pulling up to the front gate, I hopped out and opened it allowing Evan to pull through. He stopped and waited for me while I closed the gate. We rolled along the final four miles. With the house in sight, shining bright in the dark, Evan stopped and asked, "Angel? Are you ready to put on a good front?"

"I'm ready." I said, steeling myself against the tide of emotions wanting to burst forth. "We better make sure we don't slip up and tell your Momma about the baby."

"Understood, Angel." He leaned over and kissed me gently. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you, too."

We drove the final half a mile to find Momma, Pop and Junior waiting on the porch for us. We angled out of the SUV and into the waiting arms of Momma. "My babies are home!" She wrapped us both in a hug. Evan backed away a little to allow Momma to envelope me into her arms fully, as he shook his father and brother's hands in handshakes.

"Momma, we're home." I said, glad her hug fortified me.

"Darlin' we're glad you're both back." She moved me towards the door, "Come on inside, Junior and Pop will get your bags." We walked into the warm and inviting house to find a pot of fresh made coffee waiting. Momma handed each of us a cup of the steaming liquid, and knowing I wasn't supposed to have it, I just played with the cup between my hands while we talked. "How was the flight?"

"No problems." Evan answered, draining the cup in one long gulp. Momma refilled it and sat next to him.

"I set up your room, and starting next week Evan you will be sleeping in Justin's room. You'll both bunk there when he get here with the Rangemen."

"Yes, Momma." We both said in unison.

She paused, before she held my hands in hers. "How far are you?" I stopped and looked at her. My eyes searched her face, and I knew that she knew about the pregnancy.

"What?" I tried to play it off.

"Evan, Stephanie. You can't lie to me. How far along are you?" She used her no nonsense voice and I caved.

"I'm two months." I looked around the table and saw the shocked look on Pop's and Junior's faces. "How did you know?"

She smiled wide and a tear formed at the corners of her eyes. "You had this look about you when I first saw you. You were glowing." She pointed to the coffee cup, "Plus you didn't drink your coffee. I know you are addicted to the stuff, and when you just sat there and twirled your cup, I just knew." She drew me into a hug. "I am so happy for the both of you. I'm going to be a Grammy!" She jumped up and wrapped Evan into a hug.

Pop sat there stunned, Junior was all smiles. "Well, Evan went and did it. He knocked Steph up." He chuckled, until Pop smacked him on the back of his head.

"Idiot." He rose and hugged me close, "Steph, I am so happy for you. I'm going to be a Pappy!" He laughed giving Evan a hug as well.

I stilled, "There's only one problem with all this." I stated, "No one else besides Rangeman and now you all. My family doesn't know yet. I didn't want the whole Berg to know until we were ready. Please can you keep it a secret until after the wedding? Please?" I begged, hoping against all hopes they would agree.

Pop answered, "Not a peek about the baby will cross our lips, Honey." He crossed his heart with his finger and chuckled. "We promise." Both Momma and Junior nodded their heads.

Junior shook his head, "Damn, Evan! If my figures are correct you were pregnant before you got here." He smiled knowing he was stirring the pot.

"Evan Michael Ramsey! You mean to tell me, Darlin' was pregnant when she kicked the crap out of Brittany? And when Brittany tried to kill her?" Momma was aghast, holding her hand over her heart.

Evan hung his head. "Yes, Momma. We were pregnant before we got here. Angel was pregnant when she kicked Brittany's ass. Neither of us knew it, yet."

Pop laughed and slapped Evan on the shoulder. "Atta boy!"

"Turk Arthur Ramsey!" Momma admonished, but soon her face broke into a smile. "I'm going to have a Grandbaby!"

"Momma?" I said trying to hold back a yawn. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head to bed. I'm bushed. Can we talk more in the morning?"

"Sure Darlin'. Go on up, we'll talk in the morning." Evan escorted me upstairs and tucked me in after I had changed into my jammies. He kissed me and smoothed my hair with his hand as he sat with me until I fell asleep. Once my breathing had deepened and I had drifted into dreamland, Evan returned downstairs.

Momma was washing the coffee cups, Pop was still sitting at the table and Junior was fixing himself a midnight snack when Evan sat back down at the table. "I know when I asked you if we could come early so Angel could distress, I told you it was because of the wedding, but we have a bigger problem than the wedding right now."

Pop leaned forward and asked, "What happened? Another stalker?"

"We're not sure." Evan explained the situation with the pizza delivery and the message in the second pizza box. Pop and Junior both growled, understanding the danger I was in. Momma shook her head and crossed herself. "And so, because it was putting such a strain on her, Ranger and I decided to bring her here. It's safe and a place she feels comfortable." Momma nodded and smiled.

"Evan, do you think this person will come here?" She asked, worried.

"I don't think so. Most people don't even know I come from here in the first place." Evan explained, hoping his answer would soothe her. "But what makes matters worse is she's been having nightmare about what happened at Pino's after we got home."

Momma stilled for a moment before she gently lowered herself into her chair. "Evan, what happened? Why is she having nightmares?"

"She shot and killed her ex-boyfriend, Morelli." Evan said without emotion.

Pop jumped out of his chair and almost came unglued, "SHE WHAT?"

Momma patted his hand and forced him to sit again. "Shhh! You'll wake Darlin' up." She turned back to Evan, "What happened?"

"We were at the pizza place celebrating Angel and I making partners in Rangeman. Morelli came in and demanded she come back to him. She refused, so he tried to kidnap her at gun point. She fought back, in the melee, he kicked me unconscious, and she knocked the gun away. She punched the crap out of him and was doing great, until he kicked her off. He was able to get the gun back and he was going to shoot her. She stalled him long enough to pull her weapon. They shot each other. Angel's thigh was grazed but he took a direct hit to the middle of the chest. He raised the gun to shoot again and she shot him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop the gun. He fell dead onto the floor. She killed him to save me, he was trying to kill me before she stopped him." Evan hung his head in his hands, tears forming in his eyes. "She risked her life for me. And now she is paying the price for it. She went to a couple of counciling sessions, but said nothing about them. What I do know is she has the nightmares every night. She doesn't know that I know about them. She wakes me up every night with her cries telling him to leave me alone." He let a single tear streak down his cheek. "I wish she could stop, but it's going to be long time before that happens."

"Evan, Dear. We'll be here for her if she needs us or not." Momma patted his knee.

"So, now you know. Between Morelli's shooting, the wedding, the baby and now the psycho, she is stressed out beyond what Bobby is comfortable with. We're to take her BP a few times a day, and text or email the numbers to Bobby daily. If she gets too bad she'll have to be hopspitalized, and we all know how she is with hospitals." He gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Son, we'll do what we can for her. You just try to keep her calm and relaxed." Pop stated, looking at Evan. He turned to Junior, "You need to help him out. I can pick up your slack as long as you help both of them out with what ever they need. Lester will be here on Friday, so you're his right hand man until then."

"Yes, Pop." Junior answered nodding.

"Well, I better get to bed. It's almost 0100." Evan yawned and stretched his well muscled arms wide apart. Momma took advantage and grabbed him into a hug.

"Goodnight my little lovebug."

Evan chuckled, "You haven't called me that since I was eight, Momma."

She smiled, "I know. I'm just getting in some practice before the little one makes his or her appearance."

Evan nodded, "We're anxious for Peanut to arrive already."

Momma grinned, "Peanut. That's so cute!"

"I know, Momma. I know." And with that, Evan climbed the stairs to join me in bed.

A/N: Please R&R


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Janet's characters nor do I profit from them.**

**Chapter 9**

The smell of porky goodness dragged me from my sleep, my mouth watered, waiting to taste Momma's bacon. Turning my head I found Evan wrapped around me, holding me in place. I gently pried his arms from my middle and made my way to the bathroom to take care of my morning needs. Sneaking back into the room, I saw Evan sitting up in bed watching cartoons. "I should have known. Cartoons!" I giggled and slid back into bed next to him. "I want to watch cartoons, but I'm going to retrieve breakfast for us first." I hopped up and shot out of the door.

Down in the kitchen, I found Momma had just pulled a fresh batch of blueberry muffins out of the oven. "Morning Momma." I sing-songed.

"My, we're in a good mood this morning. I just made muffins, Darlin'."

"Smells wonderful. Can I take a tray upstairs, Evan and I are watching cartoons."

She chuckled and shook her head, "Just like when the boys were little. Saturday mornings, they ate breakfast in front of the TV watching their cartoons. I'll put a tray together for you." She quickly had a full tray for me and I kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Momma. I'll bring the dishes back down after we get dressed."

"No worries Darlin'." She guided me back to the stairs. "I'll get them later, just enjoy yourselves." She smiled and kissed my temple.

I balanced the tray with my hands and climbed the stairs. Pushing the door open with my foot I found Evan laying on his stomach totally engrossed in the tv. "Evan?" No answer. "EVAN!" He glanced up after a second, realized I was standing there with a heavy tray, and jumped up to take it from me. "Into the cartoon I see."

"Sorry. It was getting interesting." He sat me down on the bed, with my back against the headboard. He handed me the tray and climbed in next to me. We watched tv for the next two hours, eating our breakfast of muffins, bacon, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, oj and milk. While the latest cartoon was in commercial, I asked him, 'What were your favorite cartoons growing up?"

"First, GI Joe. Second, Transformers. Third, Thunder Cats." He said whistfull, reveling in the nostalgia.

I giggled, "I loved GI Joe. Ship Wreck was my favorite of them all. I also liked watching Thunder Cats, Snarf was my favorite Thundercat." I chuckled at the long forgotten memories. I stood up and made my way to the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. I want to go out to the horse barn and see Comfort."

"He'll be happy to see you Angel." Evan replied as I turned the shower on and jumped in.

Thirty minutes later both Evan and I walked hand in hand out to the horse barn. Walking through, we found Comfort's stall empty. We searched the nearest pasture and found him grazing in the warm October sun. He noticed motion coming from our direction and raised his head. As soon as he saw me he bolted straight for us, only slowing when he was nearly on top of us. He came forward and nuzzled his head into me, giving an audible sigh. I reached up and scratched his forelock, "Hey Buddy. Long time no see. I missed you." He gave me a whinny and bumped my arm with his head. I pulled out a peppermint candy, unwrapped it and fed it to him.

"Looks like he wanted your peppermint stash." Evan laughed, bumping my shoulder with his.

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon out in the barn and pasture, only returning to the house to grab a quick bite to eat. We mucked Comfort's stall after I washed and combed him. I stood back admiring his sleek black coat, running my hand over it enjoying the feeling of the slick hair gliding under my palm. We secured him back into his stall and walked back to the house. Working for so long had made me tired, and I snuggled into the couch in our room to take a quick catnap.

I found Evan and Junior an hour later working in the big barn with Pop moving old equipment out to the far pasture. "Junior, I need the old combine taken out, put her next to the old tractor. I hope she'll start, it's been about two years since I ran her." Junior jumped up into the cab of the combine and turned the key, lucky for him she started and he put her in gear. I walked to Evan's side as Junior drove past us with a few feet to spare. Passing through the enormous doors, he put it into high gear and hauled ass out to the far pasture.

I looked around and realized there was a lot of work yet to be done. "Well, Pop. What can I do?" I asked, hoping he could use me.

"Honey, can I have you box up all the old halters, reins and leads. I'll have one of the boys move it for you after you're done. After that we'll get you to move Momma's gardening stuff." I saluted him and walked away hearing him laugh under his breath. I spent the next hour and a half boxing the halters, and moving Momma's gardening tools. After I had finished, I stood back, placed my hands behind my back and leaned back to stretch. "Hey, Pop. I'm done. I moved Momma's things into the next barn over, just inside the door to the left."

"Good spot for them, Honey. We'll get to work on some more tomorrow. It's time to check the livestock and head in for dinner." He walked out of the big barn and towards the livestock barn. A shout a minute later brought Evan, Junior and I running. "Ev, Junior! Get a stretch of rope and call your Momma. Gerdy went into labor and her calf is breech!"

I watched as Junior ran towards the house as Evan ran and retrieved a length of rope like Pop asked. He handed it to him and I watched as they both entered the stall holding a milk cow clearly in distress. She was breathing heavily and looked uncomfortable, shifting her position every few seconds or so. As she turned I noticed two hoofed feet sticking out from her backside. Pop ran his hand over her head and back until he reached her rear. He gently tied the rope around the feet and placed himself behind her on the ground. He placed his feet on either side of her rear and waited for her next contraction. When I could visibly see her strain, Pop leaned back and pulled on the rope. Evan walked around behind his father and tapped his shoulder, Pop relented and gave his spot to him. I watched as Evan did the same as his father, waiting on a contraction before he tugged on the rope.

Momma ran in just as Evan tugged for the last time, pulling the breech calf out in one swift motion. He scrambled to his feet, untied the rope and backed away from the calf. Gerdy turned around and gave the calf a good once over, then began licking the calf. In a few moments it began to stir, we collectively let out our held breaths and watched as the calf moved it's head and bawled. I cried with happiness, hugging Momma, who was crying as well. "Good job, Gerdy! She's a cutie!"

Evan shook his head, "What about us?" He chuckled.

"You all did a fine job, too." She smiled, "Bringing us another calf into this world is something to celebrate. Let's head to Rita's for supper. I burned the roast anyway."

Pop's head nodded in agreement, "Nothin' worse than a burned roast."

We walked into Rita's and found a table far in the back. Rita came out and found us chatting away. "Steph! Mack! You're back. Guess you're getting ready for the wedding, huh?"

"Hey, Rita. Yeah. Just trying to relax a little before the madness begins." Evan laughed. "Hey can we get burgers and fries all around?"

"Sure thing. Beer for everyone?" Rita asked.

"I'll have a water." Rita stopped and looked at me like I had grown two heads.

"You sure, Honey?" She eyed me suspiciously.

"Yeah, I just don't feel like having a beer tonight."

She nodded, "Alright, four beers and a water. Be right back." She sauntered away and parted the swinging doors to the kitchen as she passed through.

"I wonder how long before Deeter and Sissy show up?" I said, watching the door. Sure enough a minute later I watched Sissy peek her head in and make a bee line for us. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. "Sissy! I was going to call you tomorrow. I didn't expect to be here so soon, but Evan surprised me."

"Steph. Honey, I'm glad you're here." She smiled, and tugged at my hand. "Can I borrow you outside for a moment?" I got up and followed her out the door and over to her truck. "I have some news for you, and you might have a problem with it."

"What's that?"

"I just found out from a cousin of mine that works as a guard at the jail, that word going around is someone has put a hit out on you." She whispered the last portion.

"Do they know who?" I crossed my arms, brows furrowed, deep in thought. "I can only think of one person here who would want to hurt me. Brittany. Why would she do such a thing? How stupid does she think I am? I can handle myself."

"Honey, we all know it's her. But no one will say it was her that ordered it. The Sheriff is pissed and put her into temporary isolation, but still allows her visitors."

"Well, I guess, we'll just have to be careful. There's not much more I can do than that."

"Please, be careful." She begged me.

"I have to be. Let's go in and sit." I suggested, then walked through the front doors to find Deeter sitting at the table. "I knew it wasn't going to be long before we saw you too." I giggled and hugged him.

"Steph, how you been?"

"Okay, I guess. We made partners at Rangeman."

"Wow, congratulations."

Sissy smiled and bumped my shoulder with hers. "So you get any say in where those hot guys go?"

I smiled wickedly, "Oh, you bet." We broke into wild laughter, tears streaming down our cheeks.

Momma chuckled at us, "It's nice to hear two young women laughing, especially with a house full of men."

"Momma, we're going to inundated in testosterone by the begining of next week. Lester will be here on Friday, Ranger and the guys will be here on Tuesday and on Wednesday my family and the girls come. We're going to have a full house."

"Thank goodness we had those extra bunk houses, or we'd never have enough space."

"I know that Ranger and the guys are bringing a couple of Army issue canvas tents for the guys to sleep in. Originally we were only going to have 10 guys but since things have gotten kinda hairy at home, 15 are coming and possibly more."

Sissy and Deeter paled at the mention of problems in Trenton. "Honey, what do you mean by 'things have gotten kinda hairy at home'?"

"Deeter, man. Thing went south after we got home. Steph had a run in with her ex, and let's just say things did not end well for him." Evan stated, his lips a thin line across his handsome face. "And now Angel's got another stalker."

"Another?" Sissy whispered. "Dang, Steph, you sure do collect them don't you?"

"You have no idea." I turned to Evan and touched his arm. "Baby. I think you should know, Sissy told me there might be a problems regarding Brittany." He stiffened at the mention of her name.

"What problems?" He gave me a 'don't bullshit me' look.

"Um... word on the cell block is, she put out a hit on me." I winced waiting for his reaction.

"SON OF A BITCH!" He roared, his fists slammed down onto the table making us all jump. "Who's Sheriff now? Is it still Buster?"

Pop answered, "Yup. Re-elected again, and still living in Broadus. You gonna go see him tomorrow?" Pop watched the storm rage in Evan's eyes. "Son, I'll go with you. Buster owes me a favor, I might have to call it in."

"Yes, Sir."

"Baby?"

"Yes, Angel?" Evan softened his voice when he answered me. "You want to go too don't you?"

"Yes. I'm the one in danger and I'm the one who should be there to talk to the Sheriff." My eyes narrowed, glaring at him while I crossed my arms for good measure.

"Fine. But at the first sign of trouble, we're out of there and back here. YYou understand me?" He was being a hardass but I knew it was to keep me and Peanut safe.

We ate our burger and fries chatting with Deeter and Sissy before we headed back to the ranch. I fell asleep on Momma's shoulder, her arm wrapped around me. I felt so safe and loved being a part of this family, deep down I felt as if it had been destiny that I become part of it.

Sheriff Buster West was a tall lanky man, a think head of dark brown hair complimented his almost black eyes. Nearing the age of sixty, he didn't look a day over 45. "Mack you're sure you still want to go through with the wedding?"

"Positive. We don't want to wait any longer. Besides we'll be on the ranch, where we can control who has access." Evan explained.

"I want you to excuse me for a moment while I make a quick phone call." He rose from his chair and made his way out to the front of the office.

I turned to Evan, "Baby, I think he's calling Ranger." I had noticed he had pocketed Evan's business card, and was pulling it out of his pocket as he exited the room.

"I think so too. Ranger'll explain your situation better than we did, plus he'll explain about our security team." I noticed that Pop had remained quiet through the entire meeting thus far, and he patted my hand in reassurance.

"Honey, we'll get this sorted out. Between Ranger and Buster, you'll be safe." Just then Sheriff Buster walked back into his office and sat at his desk.

"I just talked with your business partner, Mr. Manoso, and he has explained the security situation to me. I find it completely acceptable, but I would still like to station a deputy at the ranch for the wedding." He held up a hand to stop me as I opened my mouth to protest. "I know I don't usually discuss official matter with people other than my staff, but I think in your position, I think I can make an exception."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before he continued. ". I know there has been an order issued for a hit on you. I can not confirm nor deny it officially, but we all know who ordered it. The real question is who will try to make good on the threat?"

"Has she had many visitors?" I asked.

"Around twenty different men." He laughed in disgust, "All of them sure you are framing her." He pointed at me.

"Fat chance, Sheriff." I laughed and shook my head.

"I want you to know there is a lot more at stake in this situation now. Stephanie is pregnant." Evan's hand rested on top of my shoulder, I looked up into his eyes with a smile on my lips.

"Congratulations. You think she's met with her accomplice? I guess maybe I should look into monitored visitation for her from now on."

"I think it's great idea, maybe we can catch an accomplice in the process. But what about the deputy? Will he just be patrolling around the property or will he have an active part in the whole security situation?"

"Well, you can ask him yourself." Deputy Bear Smoltz walked in and shook Evan and Pop's hands before giving mine a polite shake as well.

"Mack, Steph, Pop. Good to see you."

"Will you be taking an active role in the security, Bear?" I asked as he settled himself against the wall to our right.

"I'd like to."

"Good. I think Ranger would prefer it that way, but I do have to let you know he's kinda anal about giving orders."

"Deputy Smoltz has been ordered to follow Mr. Manoso's orders." The Sheriff reassured me, as we rose to leave, "I will contact again later today."

Leaving the Sheriff's office, I asked Evan, "Do you think we'll be okay?"

"I hope so Angel."

Pop wrapped his arm over my shoulder and walked me to the truck. "Pop. How do you feel about this whole thing?"

"Somethin's not sittin' quite right with me. I know something fishy is going on and I just can't put my finger on it." He helped my climb into Evan's massive truck, before he slid into the seat next to me. Evan drove down the street before he pulled into an empty parking lot.

"Angel. I set up a meeting with the caterer, Carol Jensen. She's got a tasting set up for us. You're welcome to tag along Pop, she said there was plenty to eat."

Pop brightened, "Food? Well, why not." We piled out and walked to a nice unassuming storefront. We walked into a small office located in the front of an old house converted into a business. Evan rang the bell on the counter and a familiar face greeted us.

"Mack! Pop! Steph! So good to finally see you again." She came around the counter and greeted us with warm handshakes. "Let's head on back and get this started." She led us back into the rear of the building, to a medium sized room with a table and chairs set for four. We sat and she poured glasses of water, setting them in front of us.

"I have the three main courses and two vegi's to try today. Bar-b-que'd garlic marinated tri tip, lemon tarragon chicken cutlets, herb crusted pork roullade, roasted winter vegetables, and roasted rosemary red potatoes. They're my favorite and, I think you will enjoy them." She pushed a button on the wall and returned to her seat.

A moment later a man bearing a striking resemblance to Carol strolled into the room carrying four plates on a tray. "Mack!"

"Ben!" Evan stood and shook his hand, 'Haven't seen you in years, man."

"I know." He turned to look at me. I noticed he forced a smile as he shook my hand politely, "You must be Stephanie. So nice to meet you. I'm Ben Jensen, my mother has told me wonderful things about you."

So this was the Ben both Carol and Evan had mentioned at the teleconference. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too."

"Well, enjoy. I have to get back to the kitchens. I have baking I have to do. Nice to see you again, Mack."

"Good to see you again, Ben."

He walked out leaving us with the food, Carol explained, "Ben will be helping me at the wedding. He usually is in charge of the servers, and final plating. Any how, please dig in and let me know what you think." I grabbed my fork and dug in. At my first bite I was moaning in delight, much to the delight of Carol. "My, it's nice to know you appreciate good food, Steph."

I blushed, "Sorry. I can't help it. I do it at home all the time and the guys all hate it." I tried to explain.

"It's not we hate it Angel. We just feel a little uncomfortable sometimes." He chuckled as he popped another bite of tri tip into his mouth. "Carol, we can't thank you enough for taking us on so close to the wedding."

"It's nothing Dear. As soon as Ben saw the e-mail from you both, he told me we had to take you as clients. He didn't want you going without food at your wedding, he felt like he owed you after you helped him with his stance at the finals."

"He had everything under control, he just got nervous. All I did was talk to him. But all the same I'm glad you chose to do this. Your food is excellent!"

"She could give Ella a run for her money that's for sure." I joked, Evan laughed and nodded his head, Carol looked at us unsure if it was a compliment or insult.

"Our company housekeeper. She cooks meals for the men on duty as well as keep house for 40 men." I giggled.

"40 men? Good lord this woman must be a saint!" Carole exclaimed.

"She must be to put up with all the men we work with." I smiled and finished my plate.

We shook Carols hands as we left, fully satisfied in our choice for caterer. "We will see you a week from Friday night for the set up, say around 6?" Evan suggested.

"Great. See you then." She smiled and waved through the window as we walked to the truck.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the flowers tucked under the windshield wipers. I ran over to the bushes and lost my lunch, Pop patted my back soothing me. The bunch of red roses were wrapped in a bloody towel, a card was tucked into the knot. Evan used Pop's handkerchief to tug the card from it's position and read it out loud.

"You can run, but you can't hide. Bang bang she's dead!" He grimaced and pursed his lips tightly. "Pop, can you get her back into Carol's. I gotta call this in." Pop walked me back into Carol's office and sat me down in a chair.

Carol walked back out of the office and Pop told her about what had just happened. "Oh, dear! Steph let me get you a glass of water, you're pale." She returned and I drank some of the cool liquid, making me feel much better.

Evan walked into the office and knelt down to my side. "Angel. Are you okay?" He kissed my temple gently. "Smoltz will be here in a minute or so. They're bringing their CSI kits too."

"Mack. Who would do such a thing?" Carol asked as she comforted me. "She's such a sweet thing. Who would want to hurt her?"

"I don't know Ma'am?" I could tell by the way Evan answered Carol he had assumed his identity as Ram, Rangeman bad ass. "I called Ranger. He's sending Lester tonight. We're going to pick him up in Billings at 1900."

"Okay. I hope he remembers the suitcases." I replied, trying to lighten the somber mood.

Smoltz pulled up next to Evan's truck and surveyed the scene. Evan walked out to meet him and take care of the evidence. An hour later we mounted up into the truck and drove back to the ranch. Evan and Pop had spent nearly the whole time Smotlz was processing the evidence, going over the truck with a fine tooth comb, making sure no devices had been planted. They didn't want to risk a bomb or tracker being attached to the truck. After the all clear, we headed out. Pop called Momma on my cell phone and updated her on the events from earlier.

We pulled up into the driveway and got out to find Momma and Junior waiting on us. Momma wrapped her arms around me, "Darlin' you just can't seem to shake these losers can you? That's alright, we'll get you a nap and things will be better when you get up." She led me upstairs and to bed. I have to admit, taking a nap sounded like a good idea. I could live in denial land for a while, as I slept.

Nestled under the covers, Evan came up to check on me. He tucked a stray curl behind my ear, "Angel. I love you." He brushed his warm soft lips across mine, garnering a low moan in response. "Tonight. I promise." He knew my body had responded to his touch, and knew when I was aroused. Pouting, my lower lips stuck out slightly. He captured it between his teeth and sucked lightly, sending shiver down my spine, as warmth began to spread from my chest outward. "Tonight, I promise Angel." He got up and strode out of the room, leaving me frustrated and horny. I fell asleep a little later dreaming of making love to Evan.

A/N: Please R&R


	11. Chapter 11

**I am borrowing Janet's characters for a while. I will put them back when I am done. I do not profit from any of these stories.**

**Chapter 10**

I awoke and noticed it was pitch black outside. I flipped on the lamp sitting on the side table and shrieked. Laying next to me was Lester, grinning like a damned fool. "Suprise Beautiful!"

"What the hell? Warn a girl, Lester!" I punched him in the arm hard.

Wincing as he rubbed his arm, "Damn, Beautiful! You hit like a man." He grinned again, "Were you suprised?"

"Uh. YEAH! Duh! I thought we were picking you up in Billings tonight."

"Beautiful, it's..." He looked at his watch. "Almost 2300. You fell asleep and Ram didn't want to wake you. He and Junior cam and picked me up."

"Oh." I huigged him close and snuggled into his warm chest. "I'm glad you're here. I missed you."

"Missed you too. Guess you brought along a stalker, huh?" He chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to." I frowned, knitting my brows together.

"Don't worry Beautiful. I'll keep you safe. Ranger appointed me your personal bodyguard for life." He smiled and twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. "Ram wanted me to come wake you up for a quick teleconference in 5."

"Ranger I suppose." I huffed out, "Is he mad at me yet?" I asked tugging on a pair of jeans, I had lost my modesty when it came to Lester. Two years ago he rescued me from a raving lunatic when Ranger was in the wind. I had been completely naked until he wrapped me with his t-shirt, after that being modest in front of him never bothered me again. Although sometimes I think it bugs him.

"Naw. He's taking it in stride. Let's boogie, they're waiting on us." We walked downstairs and into the den. The familiar face with sexy chocolate eyes on the tv screen flashed an almost smile.

"Carlos."

"Babe. Just can't leave them at home can you?" He teased for a moment before it faded and his blank face slammed down. "Ram, Report." He barked. Evan filled him in on the happenings of the entire day, including the new info from Deputy Smoltz regarding the flowers. They were not bought from a local store, they were either homegrown or brought in from another place. No finger prints or other evidence left at the scene. Ranger frowned and looked pissed. "Nothing else was found?" He sounded pissed.

"No, Sir." Evan replied flatly. "We checked, but no one has surveilance camera on the block. So there's no video."

"Fuck!" Ranger swore, well beyond pissed now. I could see the little vein above his left eyebrow begin to pulse.

"Carlos. Please calm down. Your vein is popping again." I warned, his hand went directly to the spot on his forehead I was watching. He shook his head and looked directly into the camera, "Babe." He didn't sound thrilled with my observation.

"Well, relax. Evan and Lester have it under control. If it gets worse we'll call you and you can send out the cavalry. Okay?"

He pursed his lips into a thin line, before he caved. "Alright Babe." He softened and looked around the room, "They know?" He asked simply.

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah. They know. Momma figured it out the moment she saw me." I smiled at her as she smiled back.

"How's Peanut doing?" He asked confidently.

I patted my belly and replied, "Peanut is just fine. We are fine. My BP hasn't gone through the roof, despite the happenings around here. Be sure to tell Bobby, I am fine."

We ended the conference call with Ranger telling us he'd be at the airfield in Billings on Friday. We'd have to pick him up in two days, and I was a little relieved he decided to come early. I knew I had asked him not to, but was pleased all the same. Evan looked relieved as well, "Angel. You're not mad are you?"

"No." It was all I could say without letting on that I was a little apprehensive about our coming nuptuals.

Pop and Momma left us in peace, while Junior and Lester had disappeared a few minutes ago. Evan drew me into his lap, his hands sliding to the base of my neck, massaging it lightly. I closed my eyes and leaned against his chest, lost in his touch. "Angel. I think it's time you collect on your promise." A shiver made its way up my spine, my nipples puckered at the thought of his lips on my breasts and a slow warmth spread over my body starting at my chest, working outward. He gathered me into his arms and carried me up the stairs to our room.

He nudged the door open with his knee, stepped through, careful not to bump my head on the door frame, and closed the door with the sole of his booted foot. I nestled into his chest further, soaking in the smell of his skin. Heady with his scent, I moaned, knowing what was in store for us both. He gently laid me on the edge of the bed and removed his boots and socks. My eyes swept the expanse of his braod chest after he pulled his shirt over his head. A sharp intake of breath was all it took for Evan to give me his warm lopsided grin. "Angel," he barely breathed.

Tugging off my shirt and jeans provided him enough time to drop his jeans to the floor, allowing me to see him standing there at the foot of the bed in nothing but his cute cotton boxers. I giggled, "So, _now_ you wear boxers?" He waggled his eyebrows and slowly crawled up the bed to hover over me. He caressed my face with his hand, running it from my forehead down my cheek to my chin.

"Angel. I still can't believe you're mine." He huskily whispered. He bend his head grazing his lips across my jaw to my neck just below my ear, making me shudder with need. Using his lips, teeth and tongue he licked nibbled and nipped down to my collar bone. I felt like I was going to melt, the touch of his mouth on my skin was electric. I propped myself up onto my elbows, allowing myself closer contact with his body. Evan traced his finger along said collar bone and I moaned, head back, eyes closed savoring the feel of his hand. His lips followed and soon trailed kisses up my neck, over my chin and to my waiting mouth. I hungrily devoured his mouth, my tongue slipped out to taste his swollen lips, and sighed at the wonderous sweetness. He lowered his body onto mine, allowing his weight to pin me to the bed. Nipping at his lower lip started to unravel his control, he captured my wrists and pinned them tightly above me on the bed.

I wriggled, grinding my hip into his already rock hard erection and received a frustrated groan from deep within him, in response. As he nibbled my earlobe, the feelings of warmth had grown into a full fledged inferno, my body burned to be one with him. I panted and whimpered in frustration. "Baby, Please. I need you, NOW!" I breathed into his ear. Using only one hand, he held my wrists, as he lowered the other to unhook the clasp on the front of my bra. In one deft movement he flicked it open as I felt the cool air rush over my now exposed nipples. A sharp intake of my breath indicated to him I was thuroughly aroused, and waiting for him to take me over the edge. "Evan. Please!"

My panties were completely ruined, soaked with my juices. He lowered his hand and slipped one finger under the waistband, snapping it slightly. He chuckled as he kissed me senseless. I felt the outside world fade away, leaving only us in our own little world. I focused on his dark green eyes, watching as they swept over my face to my breasts. He lowered his head to take a puckered nipple into his warm mouth. I whimpered, enjoying the feel of his tongue running in circles around and over the tight bud. He switched to the other side giving it equal attention. When his mouth reutned to mine, I had lost all of my control. I deepened the kiss, drawing him into me, begging more from his body. He shuddered as he ripped my thong off of me and slipped his boxers off. I lay back watching his huge shaft spring forth from his boxers.

He wrapped his arms around me, teased my lips with his, tongues dueling, breaths ragged. He rolled us over, with me straddling him, I shifted my weight, drawing myself across his swollen and throbbing shaft. His eyes closed and he hissed as the sensation rocked him. I raised myself slightly as he was distracted, positioned my wet center over him, and sank down, impaling him deep within me. I threw my head back, as the first waves rolled over me. He tensed with the feeling of my contractions gripping him tight. He placed his huge hands on my hips and guided me up and down as I rode him. The feeling of my g-spot repeatedly being rubbed combined with his gentle tweaking of my nipples sent another wave crashing over me. I screamed and leaned back, my body shaking. I could feel him lose control completely, his hands gripped tightly and his hips rocked, bouncing me up and down. I recovered quickly enough to take the lead once again and slowed down our pace.

I rocked my hip forwards with each up stroke and backward with each downstroke. He breathing came heavy and hard, his face contorted with extreme pleasure, and I reached a hand back to grip his balls. It didn't take long for his sack to begin to contract as his upwards thrust became frantic and crazed. I tightened my inner muscle walls, gripping him as I approached the mother of all orgasms. In our wild frenzy, I exploded and rode a wave of pleasure that stole my breath, nearly knocked me unconscious, and made Evan sink deeper into me. He shuddered, gasped "I love you! OH GOD I LOVE YOU!" groaned and gave a final last thrust as his release came. Feeling him pusling and pumping inside me perpetuated my orgasm, my muscle walls contracted repeatedly, milking him of his seed. His crushing embrace held me fast, as he shuddered with each pulse of his massive shaft deep within me. His lips blitzed mine, as our tongues playfully caressed each other, sending me into orbit.

No recolection of us moving together to lay on the bed has ever ben found in my memories. We cuddled together on the bed, spooning, enjoying each other's bodies when we both fell into a deep sleep. We lay sated from our lovemaking all night, happy with the knowledge we were soon to become one.

Waking up to the sound of birds chirping and the low murmurings downstairs was a wonderful feeling. Evan still had his arm slung over my waist, deep in sleep. I carefully extricated myself from him and headed to the bathroom to take care of my morning rituals. Towel drying my hair as I walked out of the bathroom, I found Evan still asleep, so I dressed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I noticed the clock over the oven read 0603, and I chastised myself for sleeping in so late. Momma spied me peeking into a basket of fresh made muffins, "Morning Darlin'."

"Morning." Snatching myself an apple cinnamon, I accepted a cup of orange juice from Junior and sat next to him as he poured over a stack of papers. "What 'cha doing?" I asked, feeling nosey.

"Weather reports for the next week. Storm is coming in Friday night, so we gotta get the last of the haying done before then."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, hoping I could help in some way around the ranch.

"You ever driven a tractor before?" He couldn't help but chuckle at my reaction.

I grinned wide, "I used to help a friend with his lawnmower business when I was a kid. He had a riding lawnmower, only let me try it once. I ran over 's flowerbed." I scrunched my face up remembering the lecture I received from my mother over that little mishap.

"Well, no flowerbeds to hit here. You could help by running the tractor and the rake."

"I've run a D8 dozer and a skidder before." I stated proudly. "It should be easier than that right?" Pop stopped shoveling in his breakfast at my question.

"A dozer? Skidder? You work for a loggin outfit?" He snorted unable to believe I had.

"Yeah, I helped out a friend, her dad owned a loggin outfit in Northern California. I helped out for a week before I had to get back to college." I turned the juice glass in my hands as I spoke, not looking up.

"Well, wonders never cease!" Momma giggled. "You can run the tractor today after Evan shows you the ropes."

"That means Evan can run the baler, I know he just _loves_ that job!" Junior teased, as he watched a sleepy Evan stumble into the kitchen.

"I can run what?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning Baby. The baler. Storm is coming, have to finish the haying." He looked at me like I had turned purple with spots.

"Since when do you know how to hay?" He teased. "You sure you're up to it? I don't want you to get too tired."

"I don't, not yet, anyway. You're going to teach me how to run the tractor, and I promise I won't get too tired out."

"Better make your breakfast fast, we have a lot of ground to cover today." Pop ordered, picking up his coffee cup, he winked at me and walked out the back door.

"Darlin' you best braid you hair and wrap it up in a bandana. Keeps the dust and hay out. I have an extra one you can use." She turned on her heels and ran to her room, returning to the kitchen. As she braided my hair, she asked Evan who was shoving his fourth muffin into his mouth, "Evan, dear. Are you planning on working on your project tomorrow?" With my back to her I couldn't see her face as she winked and smiled.

He stopped for a moment lowering the last piece of muffin in his hand, "I hope so. I'd like to get the frist part done before we leave on our honeymoon." He shoved the last piece of the muffin into his piehole and drained the last of his coffee. "I don't know how much I can get done. But with Lester here and Ranger coming tomorrow, it should go quicker."

I looked around the kitchen, "Where is Lester? I almost forgot he was here." I frowned, thinking of how absentminded I was becoming lately.

Momma jerked her thumb towards the barn, "He's been holed up out there for the last hour and a half. Been doing his martial arts stuff."

I glanced out the window to see Lester traipsing back to the house in his ghe. He opened the door to find us all staring at him, "What did I do now?" He asked sheepishly.

"Morning Kung Fu Master!" I teased.

He bowed and shot back, "I always wanted to be Bruce Lee when I was growing up." He gave me a pretend karate chop on my shoulder as he passed to grab a cup of coffee. "Never panned out though."

"Naw. You would have sucked at it," I giggled, "now I can see GI Joe." He swatted the back of my head gently, and made to punch Evan in the shoulder. Evan blocked Les's fist and snatched the coffee mug out of his hand.

"Yeah, your reflexes suck. You are definately not Bruce Lee." He chuckled after taking a huge swig of Les's coffee.

"Eww. You can have it Ram, I'll have juice." He made a face and grabbed a glass of orange juice. "So what's on the agenda today?" He asked as he plopped down into a chair next to me opposite of Evan.

"Well, I need to help with the haying. But sometime around 1500 I have to call the priest about the ceremony." I answered, removing his glass of OJ from his hand, takinga swig and giving it back to him. He acted as if nothing had happened and took a drink himself.

"Lester. You wigged out when I drank your coffeee, but you didn't when Angel drank your OJ. What gives, man?" Evan teased, holding his hands out.

Lester chuckled, "Cuz you're a guy. And that's just nasty. Beautiful is a woman, and come on... it's Steph! She'd never give me cooties on purpose." He chuckled and bumped my shoulder with mine.

I smiled and batted my lashes at Lester, "Don't you remember the time you caught Strep throat from me after you downed my soda, on the stakeout at Worziski's Rugs."

He tilted his head, remembering how miserable he had been, "I remember we were so sick, but you still came over and made me chicken soup." He smiled at the memory.

"It was Ella's soup," I corrected him, "All I did was crumble the crackers in it for you."

"But they were good crackers." He teased me, giving me his trademark grin.

"Well, enough of this chatting. Let's get to work!" Momma ordered. "Lester, hurry up and get a bite to eat, Honey. We're putting you to work too."

Lester jumped to his feet grabbed a handful of muffins and made a mad dash for the stairs, "I'll meet you outside in 5!" He called over his shoulder as he bounded up the stairs two at a time.

A/N: Please R&R


	12. Chapter 12

**Just borrowing Janet's characters for a while, still not making any money from these stories**

**Chapter 11**

By the time Evan gave me a quick rundown of the operation of the huge John Deere tractor, he explained the rakes. "These comb the cut hay into rows, so I can come behind you with the baler and bind the hay into bales." He pointed past the tractor and baler to a truck towing a flatbed trailer. "Les and Junior will buck the hay onto the trailer after I've baled it. Pop, Momma and the rest of the hands will work on the opposite side of the field. We meet in the middle and then head to the next field."

"I get it. We going to start soon?" I was anxious to get the tractor started and get to work, word about the storm worried me. I was afrds that the livestock wouldn't have enough to eat over the winter and Pop would have to buy hay. And from what I had picked up from Evan, the price shoots through the roof during the winter. It was an unnecessary expense that could be avoided as long as they put away enough hay.

"Just a minute Angel. We can get started as soon as Junior and Lester get into position." Les waved and I started the tractor, feeling the rumble under me made me shiver in delight. It felt good! I'm talking about taking Evan into the barn later to have my way with him _good! _I made my way up and down the field, raking the hay into rows. I loved the feeling of the gentle breeze as it brushed past my face, the warm sun beating down and the smell of the fresh cut hay. I giggled, imagining myself driving the tractor, dressed as I was, and realized I pretty much looked like a rancher's wife. I sat there stunned, hardly able to believe it myself, let alone Lula or Connie.

I waited at the end of a row, took a long swig of water from my jug and watched Lester and Junior 'buck' the hay. They bent over lifted the bale onto their bent knee, dead lifted it to their chest and then up onto the trailer. The longer we went, the higher the stacks on the trailer got, making them lift the bales higher and higher each time. By the time Evan caught up to me, he climbed up onto the tractor with me as we watched the guys together. Both had their shirts removed, chests bare. I could see their muscles flex and ripple with each bale lifted, it looked like a great full body workout, but I knew Lester and Junior would be exhausted by the end of the day.

"Think you should give Lester a break, and buck hay yourself." I suggested.

"Angel, he can handle himself. If he gets tired or sore, he'll take break." He countered brushing a stray piece of hay from my head.

"I know. But I worry about him. He's still recovering from getting shot. I don't want him to over do it." I put my foot down, crossed my arms and looked into Evans eyes.

"Alright, Angel." He caved. "I'll put Les on the baler after he finishes this row. I looked up to see they only had three bales left and sighed.

After we switched, I was able to watch Evan's corded muscles at work when I stopped at the end of every row. Lester chuckled when he figured out why I was stopping so often. "Beautiful, you women say we're bad for checking out hot chicks. Look at you! Women are way worse. Horndogs! All of you!" He shouted.

"Yes we are!" I laughed throwing my head back.

"Hey?" He jumped off of the baler and sat next to me on the tractor. "I finished planning the bachelorette party on the plane out here last night. Since you can't drink, I thought a night at the spa would be more up your alley. The only catch is, I have to go along." He grinned, "besides what woman wouldn't want to be seen with a stud like me?"

I giggled and punched him in the arm. "You are hot."

"Beautiful, I'll be your manwhore, chauffer, errand boy, bodyguard and what ever else you can think of." He grinned, looking deep into my eyes. "And the best part, I get to go to the bachelor party too. We're going hunting."

"My manwhore?" I snickered, rolling my eyes. "Better not let the priest hear you say that." I admonished trying to hide a smile, but not succeeding.

"Hey, I have to back to the house with you and call Freddie to order a few things for the party." I nodded and shoo'd him off of the tractor so I could start it again and begin another row.

We broke for a late lunch around 1400, after eating Les and I headed back to the house to make our calls. The call to the priest was short and sweet. He just asked that we meet with him on Tuesday morning to finalize the ceremony. I handed the phone off to Les and snuck into the kitchen. I quietly opened the pie safe and retrieved two cookies. Nibbling on one I walked back into he parlor to find Lester hanging up the phone. Handing him the other cookie, we walked back out to the quad to return to the field. "Les?"

Lester looked up from the quad and into my eyes. "Yeah, Beautiful?"

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?"

"Wonder what?"

"Making love to me." I stated flatly. I knew it was bad timing, but I needed to know. I felt a pull towards him at times and it made me feel odd.

He sighed and he attempted to put up his blank face, but failed miserably when I touched his arm. "Beautiful. Do you know what you're saying?" He whispered into my ear as he drew me into a hug.

"Yeah. I think about a lot. Sometimes when you're with me, and sometimes when you're gone. I know I love Evan, but I love you too. I know you love me too Lester." I placed my hand over his heart, leaned my head onto his shoulder and leaned into him. "I know it sounds silly, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like."

He held me away from his slightly, "Beautiful. We can't. You know we can't. It would kill Ram, and he would kill me." He ran his hand through his dissheviled hair, "Steph, as much as I want to make love to you for the rest of my life, I can't let you have that on your conscious for the rest of yours." He kissed me on the cheek. "We better go. They need us." And with that we mounted the quad, hoping we would never have to discuss it again. I felt crappy telling him like that, but I knew I would never sleep at night unless I told him how I felt. Things remained a little strained between us for the rest of the day, as we absorbed the meaning behind our little chat.

Before supper, I pulled Lester aside to talk to him. "Les, look I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I knew it would make you uncomfortable and I still did it. It was a really crappy thing for me to do. I'm sorry." I shuffled my feet on the deck of the porch where I had pulled him for privacy. I sighed, thankful I had at least apologized for being a giant ass.

"Beautiful. You don't have to apologize. I'm always asking you what you're thinking, and I guess I got what I asked for, in more ways than one. I think you and I need to have a serious talk tomorrow. I have to pick up the things I ordered from Freddie tomorrow afternoon, maybe you could come with me, we'll have a late lunch, while Ram picks up Ranger in Billings." He raised his eyebrows hoping I'd say yes, then went in for the kill, "Please?" Ugh! How could I say no to that!

"I guess so. But I want to get back before it really starts to come down, the storm is supposed to hit mid afternoon and last through the night."

"Alright, we'll try and beat the storm." He shifted from one foot to the other, "We better get back in there." He stepped aside and allowed me to enter the house first.

We assumed our seats at the table, everyone else was chatting waiting for us. "Let's say grace." Momma announced. We joined hands and she began, "Dear Lord, please bless this food we are about to partake, bless this home and all that dwell in it and bless those who come to visit. Amen." As usual a chorus of "Amen" followed. We loaded our plates and enjoyed chatting about our day in the fields.

"Lester. How does your stomach feel?" I asked, concern that he had over done it.

"Not too bad Beautiful. Just a bit sore. Thanks for trading with me Ram. I don't think I could have lasted much longer." He knuckled bumped Evan and resumed eating.

"Sure thing man. I'm going to need your help later on next week, though. I gotta start work on my project." He stated cryptically, keeping his eyes from meeting mine.

"What project?" I asked biting into my buttered roll.

"Nothing special, Angel. Just something I've been putting off." He swiftly changed the subject, "Pop you think we could get most of the barn emptied out tomorrow night. With the rains, it will be a good time to work indoors."

"Sounds perfect. I think it's a good time to identify the leaks in the roof as well. We can mark them and repair them once the storm passes on Saturday."

"Yes, Sir."

"Lester."

"Sir?"

"I'll expect you to help Evan with the roof repairs."

"Yes, Sir." Lester answered, happy to help out. "I used to work as a roofer in high school during the summers for my uncle in Miami. As long as we can get a bucket of tar and on old mop I can patch those leaks, no problem." Pop nodded and resumed eating his supper.

Momma wondered, "Darlin', have you talked to Sissy about the cake?"

"Yes, Momma. She baked the cake layers already, and just has to assemble it. She'll start to assemble it starting Tuesday, and receive the fresh flowers on Friday morning. She should be able to add them Saturday just before the ceremony."

"Good girl. Now let's see... you called the priest?"

"Check. We meet Tuesday morning."

"Caterer?"

"She'll be here on Friday to start the set up."

"The DJ?"

"He'll be here around 1000 to set up."

"Flowers and decorations?"

"They'll be here Friday morning. The florist will start decorating right after they get here."

"The alcohol?" I froze, I had forgotten about the booze.

Evan laughed, "You can't remember everything Angel. I ordered it last week from a supplier in Billings. I'll send two of the guys to pick it up on Friday morning." I sighed, thankful that at least one of us had their head screwed on. "I also ordered a six pack of port-a-johns." I giggled, thinking of our wedding guests using portable toilets.

Momma frowned, "I hate to have to do that, but there's no way we can have almost 300 people coming in and out of the house using the bathrooms."

We finished our supper with a little more Q & A about the wedding, but mostly incidental things. Evan and I washed dishes, Lester and Junior dried, Momma and Pop relaxed sipping coffee in the den. I felt a tired, but not enough to want to go to bed. "Evan can we have Junior and Les up tonight to watch a movie?" I batted my lashes and petted his forearm. "Pweeze?" I asked with my bottom lip stuck out, giving my biggest puppy dog eyes.

He chuckled and bumped Lester with his elbow. "How can you say no to that?"

Lester almost doubled over with laughter, "Easy, close your eyes!" Junior and Lester were laughing holding each other up. Evan was leaning against the counter as I stomped up the stairs. I slammed the door shut and flopped down onto the bed. I heard a knock a few minutes later, "Beautiful? Can I come in?"

"Whatever floats your boat." I replied in a pissy tone and flopped over to sit cross legged on the bed.

"We're sorry. We just couldn't help it. You were just so cute with the pouty lip and big eyes." He pinched my cheek and touched the tip of my nose. I tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't for long. Lester had me in a full blown bear hug, rocking me back and forth, tears streaking my face, when Evan and Junior walked in a moment later.

"We're sorry Angel. We can watch whatever you want." Evan offered.

Junior held up a huge bowl of popcorn. "I brought the popcorn. Extra extra butter." He smiled as I relaxed and held out my hands. He placed the bowl into my lap and I tried to decide which movie to watch.

"Sahara." I announced, and threw a pillow at Les. "I want Sahara Manwhore!" I giggled at the looks the guys gave Lester.

"Manwhore?" Evan chuckled.

"I told her I'd be her manwhore, chauffer, errand boy and what ever else she could think of."

Junior shook his head, "Man you asked for it. She's going to run you ragged the next week." He chuckled imagining Lester running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

"Watch it Chuckles! Or you'll be helping him." I warned Junior, waggin my finger at him.

Evan popped in the DVD and we settled in to watch the movie. There is always something sexy about a man who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty. Of course having a thing for Matthew Mc Conaughey and Steve Zahn didn't hurt. I flipped over onto my stomach and kicked my feet into the air, loving the scene when they pull 'a Panama'. I was dying of laughter as Evan and the guys frowned. By the time the credits rolled I was in a much better mood. I flopped over and watched the guys roll their eyes when I exclaimed, "Man, that was so cool! I can't believe the special effects, they were awesome."

Evan shook his head, "Nope. Not even close. I've seen better. I watched Lester accidentally hit an ammo dump with a rocket launcher in hostile territory. Now those were explosions!"

Lester laughed at him, "Man, you weren't there the time Ranger accidentally set fire to the mess tent in basic right after they had delivered a shipment of propane. That was an explosion!"

Junior shook his head and chuckled, "Not even close. My platoon was ordered to blow a wall to gain access to a building in an unfriendly area, the EOD guy was new, never been on a mission before. He prepped the ordinance, walked over to get the transport box, and flicked his cigarette, it landed on a pile of trash. The wind blew the burning trash through the open door to the armory, lit a pile of manuals, which caught the rest of the armory on fire, when the ammo for the 50 cals went off it sparked and set off a chain reaction. Next thing we knew the whole armory bunker blew, sending shrapnel all over the camp. In the end the armory was gone, the general's tent was burned, the comm center had burned... essentially the only thing left untouched were the women's showers."

"Holy shit! That was you guys?" Lester's jaw dropped. "I couldn't stop laughing when I heard about it. It was great, my buddy from communications sent me a copy of the video file on my phone. The guys I was stationed with at the time just about died laughing. The file was called Why we're in the Army."

Junior reddened and hung his head in his hands. "The sucky part about all of it... I was the EOD guy. I was lucky they couldn't figure out what started the whole thing in the first place." Evan and Lester were rolling on the floor literally. I was leaning on the bed trying not to pee myself.

It took me a while to collect myself and regain my thoughts. I stopped dead and remembered what Evan had said a few minutes ago. "Hold on here a second! Back up! Lester you blew up an ammo dump?" I sat patiently waiting for Lester to elaborate. His flat out refusal to speak urged Evan to spill the beans.

"Angel, we were taking heavy fire from three sides, Ranger had been cut off from us and we were trying to extract him. We were getting low on ammo and pretty much all we had left were a couple of rocket launchers we had procured from the hostiles. So Lester here, gets the bright idea to hit them with two of the launchers at the same time, only Santos, here, gets flustered and accidentally sets one off." Evan was in tears, laughing so hard it was nearly impossible to understand him. "It blew backwards and into the ammo dump behind us. It lit up the whole place, we ran like hell, extracted Ranger and got the hell out of there. The hostiles were too busy running for their lives to care about us."

Lester sunk into the couch about as far as he could, hoping it would just swallow him up. I walked over and sat in his lap, "What's the matter Lester? Did you have a problem with premature activation?" Both Evan and Junior howled with laughter. I kissed his cheek and hugged him, as he frowned and knitted his brows together. "Don't worry. It happens to the best of us, now and then." By this time I rolled off of his lap and landed on the floor in a fetal position crying from laughter.

"Fucker, you asked for it." Lester stood and pointed at Evan. "Beautiful, did I ever tell you about the time Ram, here, was made to go on a distraction job?" Evan stopped dead in his tracks and turned a sickly green color.

I went to his side patting his back, "Are you alright Baby?" He shook his head, and with a pleading look at Lester he sighed and flopped onto the bed face first. I turned to Lester, "Alright spill it!"

"This was a couple of months before you met Ranger. So, Ranger comes up to Ram and tells him he needs him to do a distraction job to pick up a skip. He gets all pumped up and the night of the job, he comes downstairs looking all suave and cool. Ranger takes one look at him and shakes his head no, and walks back into the apartment with him. Twenty minutes later Ram comes walking out of the apartment..." Lester was shaking with pent up laughter, "He walks out in a pink cut off tank top, flaming green hair, spandex bike shorts and his boots." I stared at Evan in complete shock, doing my best gasping fish expression, mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. "To top it all off, Ranger puts a dog collar on him and a leash! The skip was a chick into dominating punk-fem guys who were built. She fell for it hook, line and sinker. Long story short we bagged her and Evan bagged himself a handful of phone numbers." I started to giggle hysterically, until the point when I started to feel dizzy and had to lay down on the floor. "Ranger made him wear it all the way back to the conference room for debriefing, past the guys in the comm room. Let's just say, the photos hanging up in the break room the next day were awesome!"

Junior was laying on the floor coughing from laughing too hard. Evan raised himself up onto his forearms, and glared at me, "Angel. You heard stories about us. What about you? I got stories that would put Junior into traction."

"I'd rather you didn't."I stated plainly. "What's this about Ranger setting fire to the mess tent?"

"Beautiful. You would not believe Ranger used to be an accident prone dork. The first day he was at basic, he earned KP duty because he fucked up. So Tank and I were teasing him about his cute little apron when he was running a tray of eggs to the steam table. He flipped us off, dropped the tray of eggs, hitting a pile of folded towels, knocking one halfway into the fryer. The other half dropped down onto the lit stove and caught fire, using the hot grease as fuel, it went up and lit the canvas on fire. The entire tent went up, and we ended up eating MRE's for two days before they set up a new mess tent. In the end, no one figured out it was Ranger that started the fire, and he escaped to fight another day." I shook my head, held my hand up trying to stop Lester from continuing with his story.

I had to know why he had KP in the first place. I choked out, "Why'd he get KP?"

Evan chuckled, "He called the drill sergeant Ma'am." Junior rolled his eyes and groaned.

I sighed and crawled over to the bed crawling up and snuggled with my pillow. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it read 2243 and yawned. "Alright guys, time to hit the sack. Angel is wilting before our very eyes. We better pick this up in the morning, we have a lot to do before the rains hit. We gotta get that last section of the haying done, then we can start on my project."

"Night Beautiful." Lester walked over, bent down and kissed my cheek gently. "Don't forget our shopping trip tomorrow."

"I won't Les. G'night."

"Night Steph." Junior gave me a kiss as well, he patted my tummy as I yawned again. "Good night Peanut."

I snuggled deeper into the pillow almost asleep, when Evan tugged my jeans off my legs and pulled my shirt off over my head. He climbed into the bed with me after he stripped, shut off the light and cuddled against me. We both fell into a deep sleep, only stirring when the other made a slight movement in the bed.

A/N: Please R&R


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Janet's characters nor do I make any money from them.**

**Chapter 12**

As Friday morning dawned, an abbreviated run, shower and breakfast were already under my belt when the sun finally peeked above the horizon. Evan was still asleep in bed, I allowed Momma to wake him as I enjoyed the smell of fresh cut hay while sitting on the front porch sipping a glass of milk. Today was the day Ranger was flying in, I felt better knowing that in a matter of hours I would have all three of my favorite men here protecting Peanut and I. I rubbed my tummy, and reveled in the warm sunshine. I watched as an unfamiliar red truck pulled into the yard, and honked it's horn. The sound of thundering boots signaled that the boys were running through the house. The front screen door slammed open as Evan, Junior and Lester ran out of the house and to the waiting truck. Les and Junior hopped into the back of the bed, while Evan jumped into the passenger side. He turned leaning out of the open window, blew me a kiss as I gave him a small finger wave.

Watching the truck pull away and out towards the road, I drained the last of my milk and sighed. What did I need to finish today for the wedding? Ah, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I climbed the stairs, rummaged around in the closet, pulled out my large suitcase and found the spool of green ribbon. I walked back to the couch, settled myself into a comfortable position and pulled a small amount from the spool to examine it closer. I giggles at the design that was embroidered on it, knowing that as soon as Evan saw it he would shake his head and chuckle. Momma came in a minute later, to find me still giggling. "Darlin'? What got you in such a good mood this morning?"

"Oh, nothing really Momma." I snickered, handing her the spool. She looked from me to the ribbon and brought her hand to her mouth as she tried to stop the fits of giggles that attempted to escape. Finally it was too much and she let her sweet laughter ring .

"Darlin'!" She wiped tears from her face, "Where in the world did you find ribbon like this?"

I smiled and toyed with the end of the ribbon. "I had it made special. Do you like it?"

"Darlin', I don't think I could have found a better design than this." She hugged me and left me to my giggles. I examined the design closer, even though I had designed the ribbon myself. On a beautiful hunter green satin background, small cartoon bombs with lit fuses were embroidered in bold black and silver thread. I had called in the order for it the morning of the day I found out about the tattoos. I sighed lightly and replaced the ribbon back into the suitcase, then returned the suitcase to it's place in the closet. Having one less thing to worry about regarding the wedding was a relief, knowing I still had a mountain left to do was daunting. I pulled out my planner from my bag and opened it to decide what to tackle next.

A few hours later, I looked up to find that I had let time get away from me. I reached my arms high above my head allowing my legs to stretch out in front of me, groaning in pleasure. "Beautiful, you do that much more and I'll be the one marrying you." Lester whispered into my ear.

I jumped, not realizing that Lester had walked into the room. Damn his silent footsteps! I never knew when he snuck up on me. "Lester! Oh, my god! Don't scare me like that!" I punched him in the arm, glaring.

"Sorry. You were just so wrapped up in your planning you didn't hear me." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. I loved his smile, it was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"What time is it?" I tried to twist to find the clock, but being so stiff, I grunted from being sore.

"Take it easy, Beautiful. It's 1220 already. You ready to head to town?" He helped me stand, as I was stiff from sitting on the couch for so long.

"After we go to Freddie's, where we going?" I asked, grabbing my purse. I double checked the contents. Glock, check. Handcuffs, check. Stun gun, check. Pepper spray, check. Mascara, check. Lipstick, check. Panic button, check. Wallet, check.

"Nice to see you making sure you have your weapons, Beautiful." He shook his head. "How about we drop by Sissy's to check on the cake? We won't have too much time to chat. We're going to try to beat the storm back, remember?" He grabbed my coat off of the back of the couch and led me through the door.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about the storm, it was such a nice morning." I frowned knowing I had overlooked that little fact.

"It's alright. We're leaving a little earlier because I don't want to get caught out there." Ever the prepared Rangeman, Lester loaded a small duffel with emergency supplies into the back of Evan's truck. I turned the engine over, after Les and I had buckled up. "Ok, Beautiful. Let's hit Freddie's."

I backed the truck out of the barn and hit the road. "Les?"

"Hmm?" He was staring out of the window at all the little ground squirrel holes dotting the landscape near the road.

"Who was that in the red truck this morning?" He turned to look at me. SHIT! This isn't good, his blank face just slammed down, essentially halting any progress of finding out who the driver was.

"Beautiful, you'll have to ask Evan."

I sighed and pouted my lower lip out slightly. "That's the thing! He know he won't tell me. He won't tell me what his secret project is either." I swerved slightly to avoid a small flat furry splatter on the pavement, I was pretty sure had been been a raccoon in a former life.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." He chuckled and in a quiet voice he added, "It's not like were burying bodies or anything like that. We only do that when we have to on missions." He stopped dead, slapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide as saucers. "Eep!"

"Les. Don't worry. I'd never ask Evan about any of his missions. I know better than that. As for burying bodies, I don't want to know. EVER!"

"Sorry, Beautiful! It just kinda slipped out." He shook his head, "See what happens to me when I hang out with you for a while." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Can I see what you ordered from Freddie?"

"I guess. It's still all wrapped up, nothing to see anyway." He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned wide.

Pulling up in front of Freddie's store, I parked the truck by backing into the space. Evan had taught me to always be prepared, have an out, a second option, if anything went wrong. I wasn't really expecting trouble, but after having it engrained into me for so long, it became second nature. Before I could open my door, my Spidey Sense was going haywire. "Les." I put my hand on his forearm, "Something isn't right." I began to get queasy, and my head hurt a little. "My gut is telling me something is off."

Lester tensed, he trusted my spidey sense, and was on high alert. "What is it? Do you know?" Shaking my head, I sighed frustrated not to have a better answer. "Stay in the truck. I'll retrieve my order and be right back." He slipped out of the truck, hand on the butt of his handgun, ready to draw if necessary.

30 seconds later, Freddie emerged with Lester standing guard, ha carried a box wrapped in plain brown package paper. Freddie loaded it into the back seat and grinned, "Hey, Steph. Hope you enjoy your Bachelorette party. I hear it's going to be a blast." With that he chuckled and walked back into the store. Lester angled into the truck, took a good look around, and nodded for me to take off to Sissy's house.

"Steph! Lester!" Sissy explained, wrapping us in smothering hugs. "I am just working on the lacework on the edges. Every time I think I got it without any mistakes, I bump it and have to redo sections." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'what can I do?'

"We just came by real quick to check on progress. But, I guess you're doing fine." She led us to a small workroom off of the main kitchen, it was lit from five huge florescent ceiling lights, casting an unnatural glow to the surroundings. My eyes fell upon what was to become my wedding cake. All I could do was sit and stare. Even unfinished, it was gorgeous! The ivory color was simple, yet traditional. The lacework, exquisite. The brushed icing decorations were immaculate. The six layers lay on the table individually, all but one, covered by large plastic domes.

"Bet you're wondering about the domes, huh?" She walked over and removed one, holding it up and knocking on it with her knuckle. "They're strong and bullet proof."

Lester chuckled then added, "And Deeter proof." She nodded and slapped him on the arm playfully. "Lester, you're always funny."

Lester gave her a small smile, before he double checked his watch. It had begun to rain, gentle sprinkles landed on the window, emitting a soft pitter patter as they hit the window, the sounds of our voices drowning most if them out. After an additional 15 minuted, Les spoke up. "Beautiful, we need to go. It's going to start pouring soon, and we need to get back."

"YES DAD!" I groaned, "Sissy, come visit the ranch as soon as you can spare a free moment. K?"

She kissed my cheek, "You bet." She ushered us out the door and stood leaning against the door frame to watch us drive away.

Lester was driving silently, in his usual 'zone', I stared out of the windshield, watching the rain pelt the truck. It started to pour as soon as we hit the highway, and it only got worse. I hadn't seen it rain like this in a long time, and it always made me nervous. I snuck a glance at Les and noticed he had dropped his usual blank face. His brows were knit together and a small crease had formed on his forehead.

"Les?"

"Hmm?" He never took his eyes off the road as he answered.

"You think this crazy guy will show up at the wedding?" I chewed my lower lip, praying to God, Lester would reassure me.

"Not if he knows what's good for him." I frowned. Damn! Why couldn't he just tell me some fluff to make me feel better?

I jumped at the sound of our tire blowing out, Les expertly steered the truck to the side of the road, never letting it swerve even the tiniest bit. "FUCK!" Lester growled. "What the hell?"

I shrunk down into my seat, all too aware of the pissy mood Lester was now in. He flipped on the hazards, grabbed a jacket from the backseat and hopped out to see which tire had flattened. In about three seconds, he jumped back into the truck and locked the doors. Pushing me down towards the floorboards, he whispered, "Beautiful, stay down. Someone shot out our tire. I'm not sure if were still within range or not, so please, stay down." I obeyed and wriggled down as far as I could, Les grabbed his Sat phone and dialed. Just as the person on the other end answered, the rear window shattered, sending glass flying into the back of the truck. "WE'RE TAKING FIRE! HALFWAY TO THE RANCH. WE'LL BE THERE AS FAST AS I CAN GET THIS PIECE OF SHIT IN GEAR!" He hit the end button and slammed the truck into drive. Two more shots pinged off the drivers side before we made it out of range.

"Beautiful! Are you okay?" Lester was panicked, he ran his right hand over the top of my head, to reassure himself.

"I.. I'm okay." I stammered, shaken and scared. "What the hell was that?"

"He's trying to scare you." Les pulled over a minute later, to do a visual inspection of me. I slid back into my seat, my body shaking. His eyes ran over me from top to bottom. Before he could stop himself, he pulled me into his lap and catpured my lips in a searing kiss. I was so shocked from not only the shooting, but his kiss as well. Les broke the kiss and slid me back into my seat. "I'm sorry Beautiful." He blushed, "I just couldn't help myself. I had to make sure you were alright."

I touched my fingertips to my lips, still in a daze. "Les..." I stopped when I heard the tell tale sound of tires squealing on the wet pavement. I whipped around to look out the shattered rear window, a black sedan was making it's way towards us at an alarming speed. "Uh... Les... Get us out of here!" Les pulled his weapon, handed it to me and we took off. Even with a shredded rear tire, Les was driving nearly 80 MPH. We tore down the road, taking the turns way too fast for my comfort. The black sedan drew closer and closer, now I could see a man clad in all camo gear, aiming a handgun out of the driver's window. "He's got a pistol!" I shouted, and climbed into the back seat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Les screamed, "Get back up here." Les watched me in the rear view mirror as I raised my head up enough to see the driver of the sedan. A shot rang out, striking the tailgate. I ducked and checked Les's gun for ammo, popping up like a prairie dog, I aimed carefully and squeezed the trigger. The sound of a tire blowing out made me grunt in satisfaction, I then emptied the clip right at his windshield, piercing it several times. The sedan backed off and stopped in the middle of the highway as we sped away.

"Beautiful! How's he hit?" Lester's eyes flickered between the road and the rear view mirror.

"I hit the passenger side front tire and I hit his windshield four times. He stopped and I'm pretty sure he's not going to follow us." Les sighed and slowed the truck slightly. We pulled off the highway and up to the front gate. I hopped out with Les's gun drawn, ran over and opened the gate. Les pulled through, I slammed the gate shut and ran back to the truck. Jumping back in, we drove the rest of the way back to the house in silence. We pulled up and parked directly in front of the porch. After Les shut off the truck, he reached over and pulled the gun from my trembling hands. We had narrowly missed becoming Swiss cheese, and my adrenaline was running rampant through my body.

Momma raced out of the house and flung my door open, "Darlin'! Get in the house, NOW! Lester, you too!" She wrapped her arms around me and dragged me into the house. Lester followed, taking up the rear, assuring no one would attack. He slammed the heavy wooden door shut and leaned against the door frame in relief. "That was too close for comfort." Les held out his arms to me and I soon found myself wrapped in his arms. "Ranger's going to kill me. Tank's going to kill me. SHIT!" He visibly paled, "Ram's going to kill me!" He loosened his arms leaving me standing and slid down the wall into a sitting position. He hung his head in his hands. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Lester. You're going to be fine." I rubbed his shoulder. "Honey, you'll be fine." I squatted down to look into his eyes. "You saved my life, Les. If that had been me driving, we would have crashed." He looked up into my eyes and I could tell he was fighting an inner demon.

"Beautiful, I almost lost you." He reached out and tugged at one of my loose curls. "It would have killed me to lose you. Hell! It would have killed all of us." He wrapped his arms around me again, drawing me into his lap. We sat there on the floor, absorbing strength from each other for a while before the sound of screeching tires could be heard from the road. Lester's head snapped up and he gently pushed me onto the floor and behind the couch. Momma crouched down beside me, Pop tightened his grip on his shotgun and assumed a position opposite Lester, as Lester plastered himself against the wall. He slowly pulled back the curtain to watch the vehicle approach., his eyes searched the road and acquired his target. We heard the vehicle come to a sliding stop, and doors open. Les relaxed and flicked the safety on his pistol back on. "It's Ram and Ranger." He tugged open the door just as the guys ran up the stairs to the front door.

"ANGEL!" Evan ran into the house wild eyed and frantic.

"Baby!" I ran into his arms and couldn't stop myself from crying. I sobbed, holding onto him for dear life.

"Santos! Report!" Ranger barked. He watched me, as I clung to Evan, hysterical.

"We took fire from driver's side 4 clicks from town. Shot out our tire first, I stopped to see why it went flat, realized it was from a round and got out of there. Took two more shots as we left. A black sedan pulled in behind us, the guy took more shots at us. Beautiful climbed into the back seat and returned fire. She took out driver's front tire, and his windshield. He stopped, we booked it here." Even as upset as I was, I noticed Lester had omitted the part where he kissed me. I can only imagine the ass kicking he would receive if that were ever to be made public.

"Description of the guy?" Ranger was pissed, his face reflected the rage he was trying to contain inside.

Lester shook his head, "I couldn't get a good look. It was pouring and with the blown out tire, I was trying to keep us out of a ditch."

My sobs had ebbed slightly, I raised my head and spoke up. "Black sedan, no plates, newer Ford. The guy was maybe 6'1" 6'2", Caucasian, slim hands, dressed in all cammo, jacket and knit hood. The car should have major damage. I shot the windshield four times, and took out his tire."

Ranger stared at me. "Babe? You remember all that?"

"What?" I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of my arm.

"You never remember." He shook his head.

"I paid attention this time. He shouldn't be too hard to find, he's going to have cuts around his eyes from the flying glass." I crossed my arms over my chest as Evan rubbed my back on small circles.

"Angel, are you okay?" He kissed the top of my head, afraid to let me go.

"Yeah." I picked at imaginary lint on my shirt, "It was weird. We never even saw him beforehand. He was waiting for us, he had to have the car hidden alongside the road somewhere. It was as if he just magically appeared and shot at us." I wiped my eyes and sat on the couch with a thump. Evan cozied up to my side and rested his head on top of my head.

"I almost lost you." He sighed and squeezed me tight.

"I'm alright, Evan. Lester saved us both." I turned and grinned at Les, "My hero!" He grinned his famous lopsided grin and holstered his sidearm.

"Beautiful, you're the one who took his car out of commission. Wonder Woman does it again!"

"Wonder Woman or not, we better get Smoltz over quick." Ranger ordered. Junior walked back into the room and handed the cordless phone to Evan.

Two hours later Smoltz left the ranch after taking a report and collecting evidence. A slug had been found lodged in the tailgate, but Smoltz was unsure if it was intact enough for comparison at the crime lab. Lester and I both recounted the story of our encounter with the psycho for Smoltz, while Ranger and Evan talked privately across the room from us. Making his way to my side, Evan crouched down to my sitting height. "Angel. Maybe we should delay the wedding." He whispered.

"NO!" I shouted, standing. "No way! I am not giving up my wedding day because some Asshole decides that I make a good target." I stomped my foot, "No way in FUCKING HELL am I putting off the wedding!" Evan nodded and shrugged his shoulders at Ranger, as if to say, 'I tried'.

"Babe..." Ranger began to say, but I cut him off.

"Don't you Babe me Ricardo Carlos Manoso! I am not giving up my wedding day because of some asshole! So just get it through that thick skull of yours... I am getting married, whether you like it or not!" I turned around and flew up the stairs bawling my eyes out again. Evan ran after me as well as Lester, finally catching me in front of the bedroom door.

"Beautiful!"

"Angel!" I spun around facing Evan and Les, my hands on my hips, extremely pissed.

"WHAT?" I shouted, knowing they were right behind me. "What, now?"

A/N: Please R&R


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters.**

**A/N: I know it took a lot longer to post this than I had originally intended, but I finally did. I spent today at a St. Paddy's Day festival with my family. My daughter had her first public performance with her Irish Dancing class. She did great and I am so proud of her. On the long drive home, she told me, "Okay Momma! Now you can spend all day tomorrow writing." I really love my daughter! She knows me so well. So I should have another chapter by tomorrow night. Thanks for the reviews so far, they make my day.**

**Chapter 13:**

Evan looked at Lester before he continued, "Angel, I think you better sit down." Lester took my arms and guided me to the couch, sitting next to me, he leaned back to listen. I scooted forward onto the very edge of the cushion, as Evan kneeled on the floor in front of me.

"What is so damn important?" I asked, peaved. Evan closed his green eyes, rubbing them with his fingers, before opening them once more to look directly into my eyes.

"Angel. Ranger recieved a package yesterday, the postmark came from Billings." My eyes searched his, watching them closely for any change to indicate something afoul. When they changed to a dark green, I knew something was wrong, seriously wrong.

"What was in it?" My voice now just a whisper.

"It was a photograph of you at Rita's the night Gerdy had her calf. The box was full of spent shell casings. Ranger had Manny go over it with a fine tooth comb, but he found nothing." I felt a little green around the gills, slapped a hand over my mouth and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Evan held my hair as I emptied my stomach of it's contents into the toilet. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, rested my head against the cool wood of the bathroom cabinet and sighed.

"Why me? Why does this stuff always happen to me?" I lamented as Evan placed a cool washcloth over the back of my neck. He handed me my toothbrush. I brushed my teeth as he watched me silently. Unable to stand it, I asked him, "Do you think we can keep Peanut safe with all this chaos?"

"If the Lord is willing." Handing him the toothbrush, I hung my head. "Momma should have supper ready soon. Would you like me to bring you a tray up here?" He asked gently rubbing my back.

"I don't know. I should be with the rest of the family." I argued, not wanting to be apart from the family.

"Angel. Ranger and I think you need to rest. The excitment from today has taken it's toll on you. You need to rest. If not for you, then do it for Peanut, please?" I sighed, knowing anytime he asked me, using the word 'please', I would cave instantly.

"Fine." I flopped down onto the couch and grabbed the TV remote. "But I need to have someone keep me company. I'll get lonely up here by myself." I pouted, my bottom lip stuck out slightly.

"Angel. Your wish is my command." He kissed the top of my head, as he rested his hand over my belly. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you too, Baby." I relaxed into the couch and tried to find something interesting to watch.

An hour later Lester, Evan and I finished our supper and I was stacking the dishes to take them downstairs when Lester stopped me. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm taking these downstairs." I lifted the heavy tray and began to walk to the door, only to be stopped by Evan.

"Angel. I'll take these down. You relax." He kissed the tip of my nose and relieved me of the tray. I watched his backside as he slid throught the door carrying the remainder of our dinners.

"Les?"

"Hmm?"

"You alright. I mean you damn near flipped out after what happened today." I snuggled up next to him on the couch, laying my head on his well muscled shoulder.

His arm found it's way over me and held my tightly. "Yeah. I'm okay. All I could think about was you and Peanut." He grew quiet, tracing his fingers along the hem of my shirt sleeve. "I would have never forgiven myself if anything had happened to either of you." I looked up almost sure I could see him tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "You mean so much to me. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you." He gave a half hearted smile. "I guess they'd have to put me in a rubber room. I'd go completely nuts." He leaned his head down and kissed the top of my head. I sighed and hugged him tighter.

"I know, Les. I know. I feel the same way about you." I closed my eyes and relaxed, shutting out all the external noise.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up, it was well after 2200 and the house was dark. Evan was laying next to me, his breathing steady and even, Les's light snoring came from the couch. I figured he must have either fallen asleep there or felt as if he needed to be close to me. Honestly, I felt that the latter was most probably the truth. Smiling, I snuggled into Evan's side, soaking up the warmth he radiated and fell fast asleep.

Morning came with a bang, literally. The sound of a truck backfiring made me jump out of bed, grab my sidearm and crouch next to the bed. I realized that I wasn't in any danger when I heard Evan's laugh ring out over the yard. "Damn Les, you'll wake Angel up. She needs to sleep. Let her." Les shook his head and pointed to the window in which I was standing.

"Too late. She's up." Les grinned and they both waved at me. Les shouted, "Morning Beautiful!" I gave them a finger wave and prepped myself for the day. After stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in an oversized bath towel and headed into the bedroom to dress. I stopped short when I found Ranger sitting on the couch.

"Babe." His eyes raked over my body, none to subtle.

"RANGER!" I hissed through clenched teeth. "Evan will get mad if he ever finds out you were in here when I walked out." He raised his eyebrow and looked at me like I was crazy.

"Babe. I just came in to check in on you. You slept in late." He checked his watch. "It's almost 0800." I groaned and threw a pillow that I could reach from my position near the bed. He caught it and tossed it gently back into position on the bed. "You better get dressed. You've got an appointment later this morning. Dr. Horton is making a special exception for you." I stopped and smiled at the mention of .

"Oh, really?" I grinned. "He's the one that fixed me up when I hurt my ankle here last time."

"You missed your appointment with on Monday."

"Shit!" I frowned and groaned, "I forgot. I'm going to have to make it up to him somehow."

"No worries Babe. I called and cancelled it right after you agreed to leave early." He tossed me a pair of barely there panties and a matching bra. "Try these." I giggled and shoo'd him out the door. After closing the door I leaned against it catching me breath. Glancing down at the unmentionables in my hand I rolled my eyes and grabbed a different set from the dresser drawer.

I walked down the stairs to find a note stuck to the fridge for me. 'Darlin, Left you a plate in the fridge. Just heat it up for a minute in the microwave. Love, Momma.' I grinned and retrieved my plate. Pouring myself a glass of orange juice, Junior walked in the kitchen and grinned at me. "You seen Evan lately?"

"Not since last night? Why?" I asked, looking up from stirring my still lukewarm eggs.

"Oh, I was trying to find him. He promised Pop he'd help finish fixing the roof with Lester. Now they both took off." I smiled and handed him the old Army radio.

"Call him up on this. I'm pretty sure he's got the other one." He grinned and kissed my cheek.

"Thanks."

Twenty minutes later Junior walked back into the kitchen just as I finished my breakfast. "Hey. I'm headed out to help Evan and Lester."

"M'kay." I said, my mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"Uh, Ranger's taking you to your appointment?" He asked, a little uncomfortable.

Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I glanced at him through slanted eyes. "Yeah. Is something wrong with that?" I asked, sensing something was off.

"No. Not really. I just, I never could see what you had for the guy." He shrugged. I smiled and shook my head.

"Junior. A relationship other than friendship between Ranger and I, is totally out of the question." I rose to my feet and hugged him. "I promise. What we had is over. We are nothing but friends, honest."

He hugged me back. "As long as you say so." He paused before he added, "I trust you, Shorty." I smiled at his nick name for me.

"Shorty?" I replied, with mock indignation.

"It fits. You're a hell of a lot shorter than me." He grinned and gave me a nuggie on the top of my head gently. I playfully punched him in the gut and before I could stop him he had me up in his arms cradled against his chest. "You, my dear, are going to be late if you don't get a move on." He carried me up the stairs and into the bedroom.

"Junior! Put me down!" I shouted as he set me on the couch gently.

"Ranger's orders." He grinned. "Told me to get your ass in gear." With that he turned to walk out of the door. He called over his shoulder as he slipped out the door, "You have 5." And with that he was gone. I huffed out and rolled my eyes. What a dork!

I brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, gave my lashes an extra coat of mascara and applied a clear lip gloss. By the time I had finished, I looked up to see Ranger leaning against the door frame of the bathroom door watching me. "I'm all ready. You ready?"

"Babe." I swear I thought I saw him roll his eyes. "Let's head out. Dr. Horton is waiting for us." I walked past him, out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He matched me, step for step as we walked out to Evan's truck. Ranger had to help me into the driver's seat before he climbed into the passenger side. He seemed to appreciate how Evan had customized his truck, even running his hand over the polished wood dashboard.

"Jealous?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation light, as I backed out of the barn and onto the road.

"Babe." His eyes sparkled, betraying his blank face.

"Relax. I'm only joking." I poked at his thigh with my finger. "You think you can handle a prenatal appointment?"

"I wasn't able to attend Rachel's appointments, the least I can do is make yours." He seemed a little sad at that revelation.

"Thank you. I never thought in my life I would ever have a baby." I focused on the winding asphalt ahead of me. "It was such an weird feeling when I suspected I was pregnant." He nodded in agreement. "I almost passed out, to tell you the truth."

"No regrets?" He asked his eyes still focused on the road ahead.

After I thought really hard about his question, "Not really. I thank God I never got pregnant with Morelli." Both Ranger and I cringed at the mention of his name.

"So do I, Babe." I gave him a forced smiled. "Did you ever dream about having my children?" I almost ran off the road after he asked. I wasn't sure if I should tell him the truth or if I should just skirt the question. He saved me from deciding after he answered his own question. "You know, I always imagined your belly swollen with my babies." My eyes filled with tears, making it difficult to see the road. "Babe. Pull over." I pulled the truck over to the side of the road, and put it into park.

Ranger pulled me across the bench seat and held me as I cried. "I never knew." He wiped my tears away with his soft and supple fingers.

"Quierda. You would have hated me for it." I nuzzled into his chest, my tears finished. "I would have hated myself for putting you in that position."

"I know, Carlos." I sighed and looked at him for a moment, watching as a moment of turmoil flashed across his eyes. "I'm sorry. I think you better drive the rest of the way." He nodded and slipped out of the truck, ran around the front and then climbed into the drivers seat. I slid over to the passenger seat and buckled myself in. We were soon pulling into the driveway of a simple single story white clapboard farmhouse on the outskirts of Powderville. A familiar face smiled as I walked up the stairs to the front porch.

"Well, if it isn't Mack's bride-to-be!" exclaimed, a wide grin plastered across his wrinkled face. I leaned forward and hugged him in greeting.

"Dr. Horton, it's so good to see you again." I smiled and took his offered hand. He led me into the house and to an exam room off of his living room.

"Please, call me Doc. Everyone around here does. Now tells me you've been having problems with your blood pressure." I turned to give Ranger a dirty look, but the look of concern was plain as day.

"Uh, yeah. I lead a very stressful life. Between the wedding and a stalker, I've been on the edge lately." I frowned, realizing that I had been under an incredible amount of stress lately. Ranger handed Doc a file, which I assumed held the record of my blood pressure for the last month. Doc whistled and gave me a stunned look.

"Your OB hasn't placed you on bedrest?" I shook my head. "I see here that your caregiver, a , has noted the particularly difficult days." I rolled my eyes and sighed. Picking up his stethoscope, he turned to me and stated, "Alright, while you are here, I will be checking in on you often. But in the mean time, I need to give you a quick exam." Doc turned to Ranger, then back to me. "Would you rather leave during the exam, or remain here?"

Doc's eyebrows shot up when I grabbed Ranger's hand and answered matter-of-factly, "No. He stays. I'm supposed to keep a bodyguard with me 24/7. No exceptions." Ranger grinned and squeezed my hand in reassurance. Doc shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to give me a full exam.

"Well, Stephanie, for a woman who's blood pressure is through the roof, you are an incredibly fit and healthy woman. As long as you try to remain calm and take time to relax periodically through the day, I don't see why you shouldn't maintain your current activity levels." He held up a hand as I began to smile. "Now, if anything, and I do mean anything happens to raise your stress levels beyond what I would consider safe, I will immediately hospitalize you." I nodded, no trace of my smile remained on my face.

"She will be monitored throughout the day by our company medic." Doc nodded at Ranger.

"Stephanie. Is there anything you can think of that calms you?" I tilted my head to the side thinking and grinned.

"Boston Creme donuts." I'm pretty sure I moaned just thinking about eating one.

The look of surprise and amusement showed on both Ranger's and Doc's faces. "Well, I wouldn't recommend one daily, but something once and a while is fine." I grinned and patted Ranger's arm.

"See. I can have one." I said to him like a child saying I-told-you-so. He raised his eyebrow and I giggled. "Well, maybe only when I _REALLY_ need one." The corners of his mouth twitched and I knew he was grinning inside like a fool.

We finished the appointment with Doc giving me a hug and telling me he'd be by on Monday to check in on me when he did his rounds early in the morning. We said our goodbyes and left the Doc waving at us from the porch. Ranger drove a little ways down the road until he parked in front of Rita's. "Babe. You hungry?"

"Famished." It had only been two hours since I had eaten breakfast, but even I couldn't deny that the sound of my stomach grumbling at Doc's house had been distracting. "You going to eat a salad again?" I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

"Babe." I rolled my eyes and allowed him to lead me into the building. We sat along the rear wall, Ranger faced the door, I faced Ranger. Rita waltzed out and gave me a quick hug, eying Ranger.

"Hey, Steph. What can I get 'cha?"

"I'll have a cheeseburger, fries and a vanilla shake." I looked up to see Ranger roll his eyes.

"Babe. That stuff will kill you."

I grinned and shot back, "But what a way to go!" Rita chuckled and turned to Ranger.

"I just finished grilling you some chicken, eggplant and mushrooms. I'll bring them out with Steph's order." She turned on her heels, walked back through the swinging double doors and into the kitchen.

"Now you have Rita grilling chicken for you? What did you do to get her to do that for you?" I asked, stunned that she had grilled anything except ground beef for him.

"She needed a new exhaust fan and flat top grill. It was an easy trade." He grinned and watched as my jaw fell to the table. Ready to change the subject, "You ready for the men to arrive tomorrow?" He asked, toying with the salt shaker on the table covered in a red and white checked vinyl tablecloth.

"I think so. I sure miss my boys." He laughed silently. "I think the guys who haven't been to the ranch will like it, even if they do have to work."

"I'm sure."

"Do you think things will wind down anytime soon?" I asked, hoping things would.

"Babe. Never can tell." He stiffened as the door opened and watched two people walk in. I turned to see who he was watching and saw two of my favorite people waltz in.

"Deeter! Sissy!" They turned their heads to find us sitting along the wall. Sissy and Deeter broke into huge smiles as they made their way over.

"Steph! And Ranger." Sissy blushed, as Deeter shook Ranger's hand. "Gettin' some lunch?" Deeter asked as he slid two chairs over to join us.

"Yeah. I just had a quick check up with Doc." I said before I could stop myself.

Sissy picked up on the fact something was amiss. "Why'd you go and see him? Are you okay?" She placed her hand on my arm, concern covered her face.

I quickly covered my tracks, "Yeah, just the stress. It's driving me insane."

"And everybody else." Ranger added, a slight smile graced his face. I glared at him and rolled my eyes.

"Please! I'm not that bad." Ranger gave a small chuckle and shook his head.

"Babe." Deeter looked at Ranger with a sly smile.

"She's driving everyone crazy, isn't she?" Ranger nodded and I huffed out in frustration.

"I'm just trying to make sure things go well with the wedding. And now I have that stupid hit out on me. It's driving me insane!"

"Babe. You already said that." I stuck my tongue out at him and sighed.

"Well, I can't help it. Having a crazy guy shooting at you will make you nuts."

Deeter frowned, "We heard. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I shot the shit out of his car." Deeter grinned and punched me in the arm lightly.

"You get him?"

"Naw. I only hit the car. But it's pretty messed up." I grinned wide.

"Good. Hope he's hurt. nobody should be shooting at you, Steph. Surprised Mack doesn't have you under lock and key right now."

"Nope. He trusts Ranger to protect me. So do I." I patted Ranger hand and gave him a warm smile. "Besides, the nut job won't want to mess with Ranger when he's pissed." Ranger gave a slight growl deep in his throat.

Sissy paled and glanced at me, "I can see why." I giggled and soon found myself pounding the table with my fist, dying from laughter. Ranger maintained his blank face, while both Deeter and Sissy chuckled. Rita walked out carrying our drink orders, as well as two beers for our companions. We ate lunch chatting about the wedding.

"So when do the guys get here?" Deeter asked, trying to seem as unconcerned as possible.

I knew he was feeling a little left out. "Deeter. You're not going to be replaced." Reassured, he grinned sheepishly.

"ETA is 0700." Ranger stated, "Expect more than 15." He looked straight into my eyes. "I called a situation Beta." I paled and dropped my eyes to my hands. "Miami, Atlanta, and Boston are sending men as well. We're looking at 43 men to arrive." My head snapped up and I felt guilty.

My lip trembled and tears stung my eyes, "Ranger, I can't ask you to supply that many men!" I ground out through gritted teeth. "That's way too many. We can't house and feed that many men at one time. The caterer can't cover that many men!" I rubbed my face with my hands.

"Babe. I already called Carol and informed her of the increase. We have enough tents. We also have a mobile kitchen with the supplies that Tank is bringing." I breathed a little sigh of relief. "We also have a supply run planned."

"You have that handled already?" I asked, a little overwhelmed.

"Babe." He raised his eyebrow, and gave me a slight smirk.

I rolled my eyes and held my hands up in mock surrender. "Oh, I forgot! You're Batman! You anticipate everything." He gave me his best Burg eye roll, and I chuckled.

"Twenty men will arrive later in the morning after they pick up the supplies in Billings." He finished his bottle of water, and spun the empty plastic bottle on the table as he talked. "Justin will be with Tank, Bobby, Cal and Hal." I grinned and squirmed in my seat.

"Good. I miss him." I had learned to depend on Justin since he moved to Trenton. He had spent his time off taking me up in the helo, helping me to _almost _overcome my fear of flying. I had learned to like flying, although there are still times where I get nervous during exceptionally bad turbulence.

"Babe. You about ready?" I nodded and we said our goodbyes with Deeter and Sissy. Ranger led me out the door after leaving a $50 bill on the table for Rita. I climbed into the passenger seat and waited for his to climb in. He hauled himself into the driver's seat and cranked the engine over. We drove all the way back to the ranch intotal silence. After we pulled through the front gate, we made the three mile journey to the house down the gravel road. Halfway to the house, Ranger began to scan around us in a not so subtle manner.

"Something wrong?" I asked, as I nervously looked around.

"Babe." I could tell, he was on edge, nervous almost, and it worried me. "Something feels wrong." I nodded as I felt the familiar tingle on the back of my neck and the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I feel it too. What do you think it is?" I queried.

"Not sure. But I don't like it." He stated in a unhappy tone. "I don't like it."

A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to post a new chapter. Should have another chapter tomorrow. Please R&R!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters. **

**Chapter 14:**

Ranger helped me out of the truck, and we cautiously made our way inside. Momma was sitting on the sofa in the parlor, staring at a box sitting on the coffee table. Her tear streaked face turned as soon as we made our way into the room. "Momma?" I said as I slid onto the sofa next to her. "Is everything alright?" She pointed to the box, remaining silent. Ranger made his way across the room and used a pen to flip open the top of the box. I gasped at what I saw inside.

"Momma, has anyone else seen this?" Ranger asked quietly, kneeling down in front of her.

"No, Carlos. Just me." She shuddered and turned away from the simple brown box sitting on the table.

Ranger turned to me, "You better get on the radio and call the men back here." I nodded and in a daze walked into the kitchen to retrieve the old army radio.

"Evan? Come in Evan!" I paused for a few moments to allow him to answer. "Evan. Come in Evan!" After a long few seconds I heard a squelch and familiar voice came over the radio.

"Evan here. Angel is everything alright?" His voice sounded concerned.

"No. Ranger says you better get home. We have a situation." I tried to relay the information as best I could without breaking down and freaking out.

"10-4. ETA ten minutes."

"10-4." I set the radio back onto the counter and returned to the parlor to Momma and Ranger. "They're on their way." I sank into the love seat across from Momma and made it a point not to look at the box. We sat in silence for the next seven minutes before we heard the pickup come sliding to a stop outside. Evan, Les, Junior and Pop all came running into the house.

"Angel!" Evan made his way over to me, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him tightly, relieved to have him back in my arms. "What's the matter?"

Ranger cleared his throat. "Momma picked up a box from the post office this morning, didn't open it until a few minutes ago. She found this." He flipped the lid open once again, both Momma and I closed our eyes and turned our heads, shielding us from the sight of the contents.

Evan leaned down, looked into the box and growled deep in his chest. Pop and Junior both growled as well, nearly matching Evan in pitch and timbre. Lester sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, looking in my direction. "Beautiful? Are you alright?"

"No." I answered honestly. Evan released me and had me sit next to Momma.

"Momma?" He asked as he dropped to his knees in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she broke down and cried. I felt so guilty for bringing such pain, misery and horror to her life.

"I'm sorry Momma. I didn't mean for you to get involved in this." I leaned over an wrapped my arms around both her and Evan.

She stiffened slightly, Evan let go and allowed her to wrap her arms around me. "Darlin', don't you ever apologize for what some crazy Yahoo has decided to do. This is not your fault!"

"Then why does this always happen to me and the people I love?" I asked, feeling a little lost.

"Because you are such a loving and caring person, people try to take advantage of it, try to use it against you. You are not responsible for this. Do you hear me? You are not responsible!" She held me apart from her slightly to watch my reaction. Once I had nodded, she returned to hugging me once more.

"I'll call Smotlz and tell him he better get out here with his CSI kit." Junior stated as he left the room.

Evan rubbed his hand over my knee as Momma and I sat on the sofa comforting each other. "Angel? How's your BP?"

"I think I'm okay. It just scared me more than anything. I think I may need to rest for a while though." He nodded, both he and Les helped me upstairs and into bed. Les lay down next to me as Evan kissed me gently.

"I'm going back downstairs to wait for Smoltz. Relax and take a nap, I'll wake you if Bear needs you." I smiled and kissed him back, deeply, sweeping my tongue across his bottom lip. His eyes darkened and I could see the passion flare in his eyes. "Angel. I love you." He traced a finger down the side of my face.

"I love you too Baby." I rolled over and snuggled into Lester's chest. Evan strode out of the room, closing the door behind him. After a few mintues of silence, I asked Les, "Have you ever seen something like that before?"

"Yeah, it's creepy, but I think that was the intention."

"It worked." I shuddered at the thought of the contents. I closed my eyes and could see the box clearly, as disgusting as it was, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Inside the plain brown box, wrapped in white tissue paper was a heart. Not just any heart, but one that had been shot several times. Familiar shell casings were strewn about in the box, all engraved with my name. A note was taped to the inside of the lid. It showed a photo of me standing outside the caterer's, a cross hair drawn over my chest. 'Bang, bang she's dead' was written in thick black letter along the bottom of the photo. I shivered at the thought and Les pulled me closer to his chest.

I allowed myself to be enveloped by his warmth and comfort, which made it must easier to fall asleep. Two hours later, I was still wrapped in Les's arms. He had fallen asleep as well and yet still maintained his grip around me. I wriggled slightly to loosen his grasp, but only succeeded in waking him, "I'm sorry, Les."

He gave me a sleepy grin, "It's alright Beautiful. Any day I wake up with you in my arms is a good day." I smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest.

Curious, I asked Les, "Are you going to tell me what project Evan has been working on?" He grinned and shook his head.

"It's a surprise. Ram would kill me if I spilled the beans. So you're just going to have to wait and see what it is." I frowned and rolled my eyes.

"I always have to wait!" I huffed out. "Why can't anyone ever just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Angel?" I heard Evan from the doorway. "Trying to get Les to tell you about your surprise isn't going to make me happy." Rolled onto my back, I watched as a grin covered his face. "I promise, I'll show you soon." I sighed and allowed the subject to drop. "Bear just left."

"He find anything?" I asked, playing with Les's fingers.

"No." Evan sat on the bed and relaxed backwards, laying his upper body across mine and Les's legs. "he's pretty sure it's the same guy though." I nodded and allowed him to continue. "I want to make sure you have at least 2 men with you at all times here Angel."

"I guess. What about the bachelorette party? I already have Les there, who else are you sending to watch over me?"I asked, I sat up and nervously fidgited with the hem of the sheet.

"Wolf. He'll take care of you, Angel. Besides, as your Grandma and Lula say, he's 'man candy'. I grinned and threw my arms around his neck.

"You're a trip."

"And you're all mine." He drew me into a soul searing kiss before the sound of Lester clearing his throat broke us apart.

"Uh, I hate to break up this love fest, but you both have me trapped here." He gestured with his hands, Evan was still laying across our legs, and I was leaning over Evan. Poor Lester. I sat back and allowed Evan to shift off of Les's legs.

Lester reached out and slugged Evan in the arm, "Fucker! Now my legs are asleep!" I giggled and threw my pillow right at his head. It landed with a thump and he stared at me as if I had hit him with a dead fish. "Beautiful!" He grinned wide and grabbed the closest pillow, "It's on like Donkey Kong!" I he bopped me in the head with the pillow. He swung it back and hit Evan square in the face, knocking him backwards, off the bed and onto the floor. Evan grabbed me, dropped me on the couch and snatched up a large hard accent pillow. He stalked towards Les and leaped, catching Les with a well placed blow with the pillow on the side of his head. Soon the sound of grunts, laughter and shrieks were all that was heard from our room, until Momma walked in to find the entire room covered in feathers and foam.

"What in Sam Hill is going on here?" She shouted. All three of us stood frozen in our spots, staring at Momma with wide eyes.

"Shit!" I breathed, knowing we had just been caught red handed in a brutal gladiator style pillow fight.

"She said 'shit'!" Pop chuckled behind Momma as he surveyed the damage. He let out a long whistle and turned to Evan and Les. "You boys better make sure there isn't a single feather left after you finish cleaning up."

In tandem, both Evan and Les answered, "Yes, Sir." They grinned at each other like fools and flopped down onto the bed, breathing heavily.

I picked out a few feathers from my hair and made to walk out of the room. But Pop held out his hand effectively stopping me. "You too, Missy." I nodded and turned around to the two hunks of eye candy laid out on the bed.

"Come on. Let's get this cleaned up." Picking up the remains of my pillow, I glared at both the guys. Momma and Pop left us to clean in peace. Two hours later, we had the entire room spotless, not a feather to be found. Les and Evan carried the garbage bags down stairs while I relaxed on the couch watching TV. Ranger walked in and leaned against the door jam.

"Babe." He chuckled and walked over to me, only to pluck a downy feather out of my hair. "Missed one." I glared at him and rolled my eyes.

We watched the commercial end before I spoke. "Can I ask your opinion on something?" He nodded his head slightly, in agreement. "Do you have any suggestions for a grooms gift for Evan? I wasn't able to get him anything before we left Trenton." I gnawed on my lower lip deep in thought.

"A new scope." He patted my knee with the palm of his right hand. "There's a new sniper scope he's been checking out. I'll have Tank pick it up for you before they leave tonight." I grinned and hugged him, just as Evan and Les walked in.

"Hey. Save some one that for me!" Les chastised, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Les, there's always enough for you." He laughed and flopped down onto the floor at me feet, laying flat on his back. I raised my feet up and placed them on his chest gently, he began to slowly massage my feet. I closed my eyes and leaned into Evan who had seated himself next to me, opposite of Ranger. "I love you guys." I breathed out, happy and content. "You may drive me crazy, but I still love you guys."

"Babe. What's not to love?" I opened one eye and slugged him in the arm.

"Smart ass." I looked at him, both eyes open. "Since when does Batman have a sense of humor?" I teased.

"Since, you decided to grace our lives with your presence." He replied, his gaze bypassing mine and straight to Evan. "Ram, you make sure she wants for nothing." Evan nodded and slapped Ranger on the back of his shoulder.

"Sir, yes, Sir." I grinned and used them to raise myself to my feet, which Lester had finished massaging.

"Is any one else hungry?" The tell-tale growl from my stomach made itself heard, as I walked out the door and to the kitchen.

We ate supper in relative silence, and returned to our previous tasks after washing and drying the dishes. Evan, Ranger, Les and I resumed watching TV upstairs. Some time after 2200, I stretched and a huge yawn nearly split my head in two. Ranger motioned to the door with his head and both he and Les rose to their feet.

"Babe. Get a good nights sleep, the men will be here at 0700." He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

Les pulled me to my feet wrapped me in a giant hug and kissed the side of my head. "G'night Beautiful. Don't keep Ram up too late." He winked and walked out of the door right after Ranger.

The look on Evan's face after the door was closed and locked behind them was one full of want and need. "Angel. I need you tonight." He walked over and drew me into a warm hug. "But first, we need to clean up a little bit." He chuckled, "You still have a few stray feathers in your hair." My hand flew up to my hair and I giggled.

"Wanna help me get them out?" He smiled and led me to the bathroom.

Stripped naked in front of my soon to be husband, my nipple puckered at the sight of his well toned body. Evan was adjusting the temperature of the water as I watched the muscles in his yummy ass flex with his movements.

"Yummy ass?" He chuckled, "Angel, you never cease to amaze me." I grinned and stepped under the warm spray with Evan right on my heels.

The feeling of his lips brushing against the nape of my neck sent shock waves through my body. I ached with need, wanting him to be in me already. My eyes closed all on their own and I let out a soft moan. His arms wrapped around me, as he pressed his chest against my back. Fingertips brushed against my already hard nipples, I could feel the heat begin in my doodah and creep upwards to my belly. His soft kisses on my neck soon moved to the juncture of my neck and shoulder, where they became a little more demanding. His teeth grazed lightly before he bit down, marking me. I moaned loudly and wrapped my arms behind my head trapping his where it was. Evan's tongue laved the bite mark, soothing it, before his lips traveled down my shoulder.

I spun around to stand face to face with him, my body humming with anticipation. I glanced down, only to see his body more than ready for me. I snaked my arms around his neck and drew his head down for a kiss. My lips brushed against his ever so slightly, drawing a quiet breath from him. I nibbled on his lips until they parted, my tongue shot out and met his. Sparks flew in my stomach, the fire deep within me was now raging, begging to be released. "Evan, take me." I whispered hoarsely into his ear, "I can't wait anymore." He responded with ferocity.

In an instant I felt myself being lifted, my wet core held just above his throbbing shaft. I whimpered, wanting him right then and there. Our kisses were frenzied and frantic, "Angel, scream for me." He slammed me down, impaling me on his huge shaft. The incredible feeling of being filled with him, had me screaming his name clawing at his back. A moment was all he allowed me to adjust to him, before he shifted me against the cold tile wall, pinning me against it. My head dropped to his shoulder where I bit it, marking him as mine and only mine. He groaned and captured my lips with his as he began to violently thrust his hips. I panted and moaned as he pounded into me, making the fire in me grow to an unimaginable intensity.

"Evan! GOD! YES!" I screamed as his thrust became harder. I could feel the head of his cock touching my cervix, and it made me wild. Neither of us were looking for softy or gentle, we were beyond all reason, looking for our release. I shifted my hips slightly, matching him thrust for thrust. A tight heated feeling worked it's way down my back, through my legs and to my core. I closed my eyes, feverishly kissing him with wild abandon, as I crested the wave and experienced a massive orgasm. I Screamed Evans name, clawed at his back, the walls of wet center violently contracted, drawing Evan closer to his release. I almost blacked out, but breathed through the tunnel vision long enough to feel his grip tighten, his thrusts became desperate. In the matter of a split second, he came. "ANGEL!" He screamed, shuddered with every pulse of his shaft, as he shot his seed into me. His orgasms sent me over the edge once more, I bit into his shoulder as I contracted around him, milking him. I shook with every movement, little spots danced before my eyes, everything in my sight seemed to be covered in a haze. Before I knew it, the darkness enveloped me and I passed out.

The touch of a rough hand on mine, pulled me out of the fog I was floating in. My eyes fluttered open and I turned my head to see a worried Evan and relieved Bobby staring back at me. "Bobby!" I rolled over and pulled him into a hug. "You're here already?"

"Bomber, it's 0755. We've been here for almost an hour." He grinned and brushed a stray curl behind my ear. "How you feeling Sweetheart?"

"Like a Mack truck hit me." I smiled and looked at Evan who grinned sheepishly. Bobby turned to look at him and rolled his eyes.

"Fuck! Is that why she passed out?" Evan just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "You could have at least told me why." He huffed out as I patted his arm.

"Bobby. Did you really want Evan to tell you I passed out because he had boffed my brains out last night?" I was grinning and trying hard not to laugh.

The shocked look on his face was priceless. "Boffed your brains out? That's a new one." He shook his head and turned to his side. "She's good to go Bossman." I froze and paled a little bit. Turning my head, I could see a large collection of my favorite Merry Men standing across the room, trying to seem as if my comment had no effect on them. I groaned and covered my face with my hands.

"Please tell me none of you heard what I just said." I moaned, and peeked out from under my fingers.

Hector turned to Les and asked, "What 'boffed' mean?" I rolled over, pulled the pillow over my head and screamed. The sound of the guys chuckling made me feel a little better.

"Let's allow her to get ready." Bobby said to the men in the room. He tugged the pillow off my head and whispered into my ear, "We'll meet you downstairs." He paused before adding, "Damn! Next time, try to breath through the orgasm. You won't pass out." He grinned and dropped the pillow back onto my head with a thump. Evan chuckled and locked the door as the last man left.

"Angel. I'm sorry, but you walked into that one all by yourself." I rolled my eyes after I sat up to watch him.

"Thanks. Now all the guys know we're boffing our brains out." He chuckled and dropped onto the bed next to me.

"Angel. I think they figured that one out the day we told them we were pregnant." He patted my hand with his, "Besides it did wonders for my ego. Now all the guys think I'm so good, I make you pass out from sheer pleasure." I smiled and fanned myself.

In one of my best Scarlett O'Hara impressions I answered back, "Oh, dear! Little ole' me just can't take my studly husband to be. He's so handsome, and strong, and so... so... BIG!" I emphasized the last word showing a general measurement of the length of his shaft with my hands. Evan rolled his eyes and threw a towel at me.

"Better get up, or I'll send the guys back in." Horrified, I scrambled out of the bed and into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later I was seated at the kitchen table scarfing down a plateful of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, juice and milk. The guys who weren't seated stood leaning against the counters or walls watching me eat, as they sipped their coffee. A few raised their eyebrows when they saw my reaction to Evan finishing his coffee. I shoveled in another forkful of breakfast and rose to my feet. I snatched the huge mug off of the table, walked over to the coffee urn, refilled it, set it back down in front of Evan, and returned to my seat to finish eating. I had refilled his mug twice when as I ate the last of my toast, I refilled his mug for the third and final time. "Bomber? You always get him coffee like that?" Hal asked.

"Not really." I gave Evan a giggle and a smile as Hal shook his head.

"Damn. If ever I marry a woman, I'd want her to be just like you." He hugged me close, being gentle for Peanut's sake.

"Thanks, Hal. You'll meet her one day. I promise." I tugged him down to my level and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. He instantly grew crimson red and stood ram rod straight, embarrassed. "Besides, what girl wouldn't want a Halosaurus of their very own?" The guys roared with laughter and slapped him on the back. I washed my dishes and leaned up against the counter as I wiped my hands clean, listening to guys chatting.

Tank walked up and wrapped my in one of his patented bear hugs. "Baby girl. I missed you." I snuggled my face into his massive chest.

"I missed you too big guy." He gently placed me on my feet and stepped aside so Justin could finally greet me.

"Steph. I missed you too." I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged tightly.

"I missed you Justin." I quietly asked him, "Evan tell you about what happened?"

"Yeah. This guys just asking for a world of hurt isn't he?" I nodded and sighed, as I released him from my hug.

"Yeah. He is." I placed my hands on my hips and in an authraitative voice I barked, "Rule number one. Never piss of Rangeman." I watched as all the guys around me broke into smiles and nods. "Alright. Enough of the mushy stuff. What on the agenda for today?" I asked Tank.

"Set up the equipment, establish a perimeter, and get the comm tent up and running."

"Oh, is that all?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Tank growled and lifted me off my feet in another massive bear hug.

"Baby girl. You will be responsible for double checking the supply order when Silvio and the rest of the men arrive." He set me back on my feet.

I gave him a half-assed salute and replied, "Sir, yes, Sir." He grinned and leaned down to my belly.

"Hey, Peanut. It's Unky Tank. Be good for Mommy." He swept his huge hand over my belly, in a gently gesture. Standing back to his full 6'6" height, he angled his head slightly before announcing, "They're here. Better get going Baby girl." We walked out of the house to find the ranch a flurry of activity. Men were scurrying around like ants carrying equipment from the fleet of SUV's to several different locations around the yard.

The last of the long line of SUV's parked on the side of the barn, and I watched Silvio angle his way out. I ran over and jumped into his arms. "Silvio!" I smacked a kiss on his cheek. "I missed you!"

His hearty laugh made me smile. "Good to see you too Bomber." His bright smile lit up his handsome face. His skin was not quite as dark as Ranger's, and his frame was slightly smaller than that of his cousin's. His devilishly good looks, made him seem ten years younger than he really was. His straight black hair was cropped fashionably short, and his chocolate brown eyes danced with excitement. "You're looking as gorgeous as ever."

"Thanks. Have you heard?" I asked, as he set me back onto my feet.

"About the wedding? Sure, we all know." He grinned.

"No, dummy!" I poked him in the side. "About how you're going to be an uncle?" He paled, looked at me through glassy eyes and promptly slumped to the ground.

"BOBBY! WE GOT ANOTHER ONE!" Bobby came running over and produced a capsule of smelling salts. He broke it open and waved it under Silvio's nose. As his head rested in my lap, his eyes fluttered open. He looked around holding his head.

"What happened?" He asked a little confused.

"I just told you you're going to be an uncle." I smiled sweetly and looked up at Evan who was standing by my side resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Uncle? That means..." His eyes grew wide and he looked back and forth between Evan and I. "You mean...?"

"Yeah. We're pregnant." I said warmly placing my hand over Evans. Silvio wrapped my in a tight hug and then promptly released me, to look at my belly.

"Sorry, little one. Uncle Silvio got a little carried away." He placed his hand over my belly as he spoke, his eyes shining with happy tears. He looked up and kissed my cheek. "I am so happy for the both of you." He shook Evan's hand, who then helped Silvio to his feet.

"Can I ask a favor? My family doesn't know it yet, and I'd like to keep it that way until after the wedding is over."

"Consider it done. We'll announce at the staff meeting that it is to remain a secret until further notice." I smiled and nodded at him. Evan slapped him on the shoulder and led him away towards the house. I found the supply list in the SUV Silvio just vacated and began to work with a small group of men from Miami on double checking the list against what we had in the SUV's.

A/N: I'll try to hash out another chapter tonight. Please R&R, they really make my day.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters.**

**Chapter 15:**

After the Miami guys and I finished with the supplies, I watched as they moved them to the appropriate areas. Tank marched over and with military precision, directed them to where they were to go next. Jay, Eli, Tater, Skip, Bruce, Scorch and Fox were all divided up and walked away briskly. I waved to them and sighed leaning against Tank. "You know, I've never met half of the guys from the other offices. But from what Scorch tells me, they volunteered."

"Baby girl, you of all people should know what a positive influence you have on people. These guys practically had to claw their way into the plane to get here, there were so many guys wanting to help. From what I heard, the guys from Atlanta held a competition. The top eight guys made the trip." I blushed thinking that these guys would fight over the chance to work my wedding. Who was I to them? I mean, I'm just a girl from Jersey.

"Baby girl, you're not just a girl from Jersey. You're everything good and light in our world of evil and darkness." I bumped my shoulder against his ribcage. I cursed myself for talking out loud again.

"Please. Me?" I asked surprised at his comment. He nodded and kissed the top of my head. He left me to ponder that comment while he organized the tents.

"Comm tent next to the small barn. The other tents by the bunk houses on the far side of the barns." He barked, making the men scramble a little bit faster. I watched as Ranger and Evan surveyed the situation. I walked up behind them and heard Evan talking to Ranger.

"We should have the computer systems and satellite up and running in less than 30 minutes after the tent is erected. The extra power cables and landlines are all ready to go." Ranger nodded as he scanned the yard, watching his men. Evan quieted his voice, so I snuck up behind them to hear him better. "You think we should tell Angel yet? I mean, she should know."

Ranger stiffened and said over his shoulder, "She's standing right behind us. I'm sure now is the time to tell her, before she throws a hissy fit." I frowned at the last comment but refused to dignify it with a reaction. So I threw my arms around Evan's waist and leaned my cheek into his strong back.

"Hey, Baby. Tell me what?" I asked, as nicely as I could muster.

"Uh, we may have a problem with your bachelorette party." I felt my heart drop with disappointment.

"But why?" I asked, tears threatened to fall. He turned me to face him, his facial expression not one of joy.

"Angel. The spa attendants all failed the background checks. Not a single one passed." I rubbed my face with my hands, wishing things were actually going according to plan.

"Did you talk to Les yet? He's the one planning it." I lamented.

"Uh, he chickened out telling you." I groaned and rolled my bright blue eyes.

"Really? What a chicken shit!" I tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "He got any other ideas?" Evan shrugged his massively muscled shoulders.

"Not a clue." Evan rubbed my arms with the palms of his hands and dropped a kiss on the tip of my nose. "Don't worry. He'll figure out something."

"He better. I'm not missing out on it. I never was able to enjoy the one before the dick and I got married. I was so damn drunk I don't hardly remember anything. Now that I can't drink, I'll remember everything." I grinned and made my way across the yard to find Les.

Chugging a bottle of water, leaning on the side of the small barn, I found Les. I moved in front of him and leaned back to rest against his delicious chest as we watched the guys from Boston putting up the Comm tent. Hector joined us, his approach as silent as ever.

"So what's this I hear about you being a chicken shit?" I teased Les.

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, he soothed me. "Beautiful, it's okay. I'll figure it out. Don't worry. It'll be relaxing and unforgettable." I winced at the last bit.

"That's what I was afraid of."

Hector smiled and rattled off to Lester. "Me puede ayudar. Lo se todo sobre manicura, pedicura, tratamientos faciales, maquillaje y el pienado. Si quieres puedo contratar a unos cuantos para que me ayude?" (I can help. I know all about manicures, pedicures, facials, make up and hair. If you want I can recruit a few men to help me?)

Lester smiled and nodded to him, "Si. Ver lo que puede hacer. Puedo conseguir todos los materiales que necesitara. Seguro que quieres hacer esto?" (Yes, see what you can do. I can get you all the supplies you will need. Are you sure you want to do this?)

I watched as Hector nodded and walked away to ensure his computers were being treated correctly. "Les, what did you say?" My curiosity was getting the better of me and I couldn't wait to her what they had talked about.

Les gave me his lopsided grin and chuckled, "All about the weather, Beautiful. All about the weather." I punched him in the arm and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Liar. I'll find out, one way or another. I always do."

Under his breath I could just barely make out, "Don't I know it." I grinned and took off for the house.

I found Momma lugging a huge basket of late season produce from the garden. I ran over and grabbed a handle splitting the weight between us. "Thank Darlin'. It was getting pretty heavy."

"Momma, why didn't you have one of the guys help you?" I asked, a little confused as to why she didn't ask for help.

"Didn't want to be a bother, Darlin'. They're all so busy." I helped her set it on the counter next to the kitchen sink. She pulled out the potatoes and gently set them into the sink to wash. I leaned against the counter top and watched her prepare the potatoes for tomorrows BBQ. I helped her rinse and wrap them in foil, setting them in a box.

"It's kind of crazy around here with all the guys. I'm sorry." She turned slowly and gave me a warm smile.

"Darlin', it's nothing to be sorry for. It reminds me of when Evan, Justin and Junior used to have the football teams over for cookouts on the weekends." She finished wrapping the last potato. "Those were good times. We were blessed to have such wonderful boys." She wiped a lone tear off of her cheek. "And now, we are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter." I smiled and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"I'm glad I have you Momma. You've always been so kind to me. Sometimes I wish you had been my mother growing up." I sighed and sank into a kitchen chair.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "Why dear? You seem to have such a loving family."

"My mother is very controlling. Even to this day, she tries to run my life. That's why I'm afraid to tell her about Peanut. She's goiong to try to take over and I just can't get her to stop." I was in tears by this point and Junior walked in to find momma hugging me while I cried. He raised an eyebrow and left in a hurry. A few moments later Evan, Ranger and Les barged in to find me still spilling tears.

Evan knelt at my feet, hands on my knees, "Angel? Can you tell me what's wrong?" I shook my head and allowed Momma to fill in the blanks.

"She's afraid her overbearing mother is going to try to push her way with the baby." Evan's mouth dropped into a grimace. "She's stressing herself out. You need to get Bobby in here and get her clamed down. NOW!" Evan jumped to his feet to run out the door, but Les had already returned drgging Bobby with him.

"Bobby, her BP is through the roof. Look at the vein on her forehead, it's pulsing." Bobby opened his doctor's bag and pulled out his stethoscope and took my pulse.

"Bomber, I'm sorry but you have two choices. You either take a sedative or you relax. Which one?" He placed his hands on his hips, indicating that he wouldn't be taking any other option as an answer.

I wiped my nose with the back of my arm and wiped away the tears on my cheeks. "I wewax. Pwomise." Ranger's lips pressed together to from a thin line, showing he was clearly unhappy with the situation.

"Babe. You need to relax. The sedative is the fastest way." I shook my head.

"No. Too sweepy." God! I hated when I cried like this, it made talking clearly hard. I sniffled really hard, nearly passing out. Evan caught me and I gave him a small smile. Sorry. I'm to go lay down." I rose to my feet and almost fell over. Evan scooped me up into his arms cradling me against his heavenly chest and carried me upstairs.

"Angel. Please, you need to calm down. Do you want me to stay with you?" I shook my head.

"Evan, you need to help get everything set up. Go. I'll be fine. If I need anything I can yell for Momma. Just make sure the door is open." He placed me onto the bed, covered me with a spare quilt. "Please, for Peanut's sake." I nodded and he leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on my lips.

"I promise, Baby. I'm going to take a nap. I'll be fine in a little bit." Evan walked out of the room leaving me in peace. I rolled over, snuggled into the pillow and was soon asleep.

I was startled awake by the sound of men shouting and running. I watched out the window to see the men all scrambling for their rifles, making a mad dash out to a far pasture. Les waved at me and from my perch on the window seat, I waved back. He and Hector jogged into the house, up the stairs pulling Bobby along for the ride. "Hey, Beautiful. Feeling better?" I smiled knowing nothing I said or did would persuade Bobby from giving me another quick BP check. I held out my arm and allowed him to afix the BP cuff. After he was done, Bobby had a warm smile on his face.

"Alright you can come down now. Your BP is within an acceptable range. Evan's taking the guys out for target practice in the far pasture. Each office sent their best sniper, so this ought to be interesting." I blinked a few times before I could speak.

"Who are they? " I asked, curious as to who was the best.

"Well, there's Scorch, Killer, Giant and of course Ram." I smiled at the mention of Evan's name. "They brought in the big guns for this job." Bobby smiled and pointed to Evan who walked out fo the house carrying a huge gun I had never seen before. "50 Cal. It's one of his pride and joys. He keeps it locked in Pop's gun safe built into the floor of the gun room." My jaw dropped, it was such a huge weapon, I couldn't see myself firing something like it. Too scary.

"Can I go watch?" Les held out his hand to me, I accepted it and we walked out to the quad sitting near the front porch. We rode in relative silence towards the large group of men standing around the four snipers. After coming to a stop, I slid off of the back of the quad and walked to Evan's side. It was almost indecent the way he caressed his 50 Cal. His hands stroked her from the end of the barrel to the end of her stock. I cleared my throat and brought him back into reality. "Baby? Do you love her more than me?" Teasing him, I hefted one of the bullets in my hand. Damn! They were huge and way heavy.

"Not on your life, Angel." The guys around us chuckled. He kissed me on the lips passionately before he spoke to the men around us. "Alright. we'll have Decker set up the targets at 500, 800, 1000 and 1200 yards. The plastic targets all have the new color changing technology, so the spotter should be able to see a hit clearly. Four shots total, one shot per target. Most hits wins, in the event of a tie, Angel here will select a target for us as a tie breaker." I nodded and listened to the men making bets.

After a few minutes of adjusting, Evan turned to the other three men. "Alright, gentlemen, if you are ready. Angel pick a number and whisper it to Silvio."

I chose 2 and whispered it into Silvios ear quietly. He nodded to Evan and he allowed the other men to choose first. Scorch chose 5, Killer chose 3, Giant chose 2 and Evan chose 7. I rolled my eyes and listened as Silvio barked out the shooting order. Giant, Killer, Scorch and then Evan. We finished just as Becker returned from pacing the targets.

"All good to go." He settled himself at parade rest next to Ranger who had assumed the same position.

First up was Giant. Let me tell you, his name fit his body. He was slightly smaller than Tank, and I mean slightly. Maybe only a half inch shorter, 25 pounds lighter, and not quite as muscled, but not by much. His jet black hair was cut short and twisted into spikes on the top of his head. As he adjusted his rifle scope, I donned my protective ear muffs Les handed to me. When he was set, Giant raised his hand to signal he was ready. "At will." Evan barked.

The first shot from the 50 Cal. rifle nearly made me pee my pants. It was so darn loud. A split second after the round left the barrel, I watched the target flop over. Silvio raised his hand, "Hit." He was watching through binoculars for the hits and misses. Overall, Giant hit the 500 and the 1000, but missed the 800 and 1200. He stood after finishing his round and retreated to the back of the crowd to watch his opponents.

Killer managed to hit two as well, leaving the door open for both Scorch and Evan to win. Scorch zeroed in on the 500 target and hit it right off the bat. He readjusted his sight and aimed for the 800 yard. He hit it dead center, it flopped over. He then hit the 1000 yard target without any trouble. But when it came to the 1200 yard target he missed by a few inches. Scorch seemed a little miffed at the missed shot, but took it in good stride.

Finally Evan was up. He sighted his target, squeezed the trigger and nailed the target at 1200 yards. It hit dead center and literally blew apart into several different pieces. He grinned and adjusted the sight again. He aimed for the 1000 target and nailed it. Same for the the 800 target, but just before the 500 target, something went horribly horribly wrong. He was adjusting the scope and stopped dead in his track. There in his hands were three pieces of what was once his scope. I winced knowing that it was his favorite scope and he would be a bear to be around for the next couple of hours, because of his frustration about the scope.

I walked up behind him, placed my hands over his and mouthed the words, 'I love you'. He grinned, chucked the scope pieces on the ground and sighted the 500 target with his naked eye. He whipped the gun up, sighted quickly and fired. As I predicted, it hit dead center of the target and the guys all cheered. I beamed, my man had just proven himself, yet again. Ranger gave Evan a small nod and turned to walk away.

"Baby? What the kick on this like?" I asked tracing my finger tips over the still warm barrel.

"It's a hell of a kick, but I think you can handle it." He moved me behind the gun sitting on it's sandbag. The guys all stopped their chatter and watched us in clear fascination.

"Call out a target." I said to Silvio. He raised his eyebrow and then complied.

"1200." He grinned knowing I couldn't hit it even if I tried. I shrugged and loaded a round into the rifle. I refused Scorch's offer to use his scope and chose instead to eyeball it. Ranger had suspended his retreat to the house when Les pulled him back to watch me. I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, slowed my heart rate, opened my eyes and sighted the target. I breathed out, waited for right after my heartbeat to squeeze the trigger. When I did, I was knocked back a foot or so but I watched the trail of the round through the air as it traveled towards the target. In an instant, I was surrounded by the guys all screaming and shouting. I looked to Silvio who's mouth had dropped open.

"HOLY SHIT! She hit it. She hit the fucking target dead center." I thought Silvio was going to pass out from sheer amazement. Evan hoisted me up onto his shoulders and carried me back to the house while the 50 Cal. remained in his arms. I waved at Ranger as we walked by, a 200-watt grin played across his face. I gave him a small finger wave and he winked back. I grinned knowing if I could kick some ass at 1200 yards, nothing could stop me. Not even my mother.

A/N: Hope you're enjoying the story. I have to admit, I'm not really a shooting enthusiast, so please bear with me if things seem a little off with it. More to come in the next day or so. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. They really do make my day, so please, make my day. Read and review! Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I profit from Janet's characters. Although it would be nice.**

**Chapter 16:**

After we trekked back to the large barn, we were assembled for a staff meeting. I found a seat on the floor in front of the guys while they stood at parade rest. Tank and Ranger were pouring over a large packet of papers as Lester, Bobby and Evan stood by their sides. Evan looked over to me and jerked his head in his direction, wanting me to join him. I groaned and slowly found my feet. I wandered over to him and stood leaning against his massive frame. His arms posessively wrapped around my middle and I tried very hard not to laugh at the faces both Hal and Cal were making at me. Finally, the meeting started with Ranger taking the lead.

"Men. We all know why we're here. Ram and Stephanie are getting married on Saturday and their security and the security of the guests is our top priority. We are expecting 280 guests, so be prepared to handle a large crowd. No pat downs or pass through metal detectors, just wands. We do not have a visual description of the stalker as of yet. We will update you as soon as we receive word on who this sick fucker is. We are dealing with a stalker who is knowledgable with weapons, so do not let your guard down. Individual assignments will be handed down from your squad leader. Boston, you are in charge of securing the parking lot, manning the gates, as well as patrol. Atlanta, you are in charge of securing the ceremony and reception areas, as well as K9 when Scratch and Kelly get here. Miami, you are in charge of securing the entire perimeter. Killer, you will be stationed on the top of the large barn, it has 270. Giant, you will be posted on top of the main house, it has 270. Scorch, you will be posted on the silo, it has 360. Trenton will have security detail for the bridal party, as well as the vendors. Any questions?" Not a single man moved.

Tank stepped up and began his orders. "There are two gates that will be staffed. The North Gate and South Gate are to be manned at all times. No one is allowed entry without proper ID. Guests have all been issued invitations which must be presented. If for some reason, a guest does not have an invitation, a guest list will be provided for verification. The vendors will be here on Friday to start setting up. The caterer will be here 0800 Saturday to start prepping for the afternoon. The DJ will arrive at 1100 to set up. The florist will be here at 1200 to finish. Two men will be making a run to Billings to pick up the alcohol on Friday morning." He shifted his stance slightly from one foot to the other.

"We will expect you to represent Rangeman well. Do not disappoint or you will be called to the mats, not only by you superior, but by Ranger and myself. Do I make myself clear?" A chorus of "Sir, yes, Sir's" echoed in the barn. "The plane carrying the wedding party from Trenton will arrive in Billings on Wednesday at 1200. Ella and Louis are arriving Thursday at 0900. Security details will be assigned. If, for any reason, Stephanie needs to leave the ranch, she is to be escorted by no fewer than two SUV's and eight men. She has a confirmed contract out on her, and this stalker has so far not allowed the presence of Rangeman to deter him. Be vigilant, be aware, but most of all keep Bomber safe." He stepped back to allow Bobby to step up.

"It has come to my attention that there has been a rash of fainting spells to take out some of the best Rangeman has to offer. So to minimize the effect it may have later, I believe Stephanie and Ram have an announcement for those who are not assigned to Trenton." He gestured with his hand to allow both Evan and I the floor, so to speak. I looked at him nervously, and swallowed hard. Evan came to stand next to me, holding my tiny hand in his massive one. He turned his head and looked down at me, giving me a warm smile and a small squeeze of the hand in reassurance. I gave him a weak smile and we both turned to face the men in front of us.

"Hi, guys." I greeted them in a somewhat stilted voice. I breathed in and out for a second before I continued. "We wanted to thank you all for volunteering to secure our wedding. We really appreciate you guys and I personally think you all are awesome." The men began to smile and relax a little as I spoke. "We hope that during your stay here, you have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself at some point." I paused, not knowing how to go about telling these guys that I was pregnant. Evan sensing my dillema, spoke up.

"Men, the core team believes that Stephanie is priority number one. Protect and save her above all else. Not only is she a core member, but..." He paused, I think to give a little suspense. "She's also going to be a mother. We're pregnant!" Evan beamed and we were soon engulfed by a black clad sea of men. I had enough kissed and hugs to last me a lifetime by the time they had finished. Luckily, Bobby did not have to revive anyone, although it looked like a few hearts were melting. Evan cleared his throat and allowed the men total discression. Under no circumstanses are you to confirm, deny, nor speak about the pregnancy for the duration of our security job. It is most important that none of the women in the wedding party find out. Your life may depend on keeping this a secret." He turned to look at me and gave me a small wink. "Stephanie's life may depend on it." He stepped back and allowed Lester to speak up.

"Men. There will be a 24 hour guard on all buildings on the property for the duration of this job. Now..." He gave an evil little grin. "Tomorrow at 1000, we will be aiding Ram's father in ridding this ranch of as many ground squirrels as we can. There will be enough time for those on duty the first shift to come out and have at it later in the day. At 1900, we will be meeting at Rita's in town for a night out. Thursday at 1800, the bachelorette party will be taking place, assignments for that will be handed out by the squad leaders. The bachelor party will be on Friday at 1800." He waggled his eyebrows at Evan, "And Ram's Momma, says he is to be returned to her in one piece, still able to think, talk and act rationally." Most of the guys frowned and grumbled. "Not to worry!" He held up his hands to stop the murmuring among the men. "We're going hunting!" They all cheered and seemed much happier with the situation.

I glanced over at Ranger, who was as always silently scanning the room. He caught my gaze and gave me such a quick wink, I almost missed it. I grinned and moved my gaze to Lester who was finishing his briefing. "And finally, be advised that if for any reason you have any suspicion of anybody before, during or after the wedding, notify a core member immediately. We will handle it from there. As Tank said, be vigilant, be aware, and keep Bomber safe." He stepped back to allow Ranger to finish the briefing.

I watched as Ranger flipped through the papers he held in his hands. His hair fell forward into his field of vision and he brushed the offending tresses aside. "You will receive packets with timelines, photos and quick bio on the wedding party. Also included are photos and bios of persons who are banned from the ceremony or possible problems." Ranger turned to me and gave a quick almost smirk. "Finally, be sure to introduce yourself to Stephanie's Grandma Mazur." With that he turned around and walked out of the barn to the house. I glanced at Evan totally horrified at Ranger's suggestion of meeting Grandma. Evan grinned and shook his head.

The men milled about as the squad leaders received their info packets from Tank. I groaned and leaned my head into Evan's chest. "He's insane! How can he do that to him?" I asked, mortified. Evan chuckled as Les strode up shaking his head.

"He's a sick fuck." Les ground out, "Better make sure Bobby's got enough ice packs for the bruised ass cheeks." Evan broke out into a full blown gut busting laugh, leaning onto Les for support.

"Dude, she's going to decimate the other offices. They're fucked!" I have to admit, I did giggle a little at Evan's observation. After Evan calmed down and wiped away the tears, we made our way back to the house.

Ranger was sitting at the table sipping a bottle of water chatting with Momma. We walked in, situated ourselves around the table, only to be joined by Tank, Bobby, Pop, Junior and Justin. "You are so evil." I shot at Ranger who gave me an innocent smile.

"Babe." I couldn't help it I lost it and started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Junior asked, confused.

"Ranger told the guys from the other offices to be sure to introduce themselves to Grandma."

He paled and said, "The one with the roving hands?" I nodded and he swallowed hard. "Be sure to point her out to me first thing when she gets here." I rolled my eyes and grinned.

"Babe. You ready for all this?"

I leaned against Ranger's shoulder and sighed. "Yeah. As crazy as it sounds, I'm ready. I want to be Mrs. Ramsey already." I leaned over and gave Evan a quick kiss on his incredibly soft lips. Momma sniffled and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her tissue.

"It will be nice not to be the only Mrs. Ramsey around here for once." I smiled and reached out to pat her hand with mine.

"Don't worry Momma. Everything will be fine. With the guys here, nothing will happen." I reassured her just as much as I was reassuring myself.

"I hope so, Darlin'. I hope so." She replied with a hitch in her voice.

"Bomber, your schedule for the next few days is busy so don't expect much time to yourself. You and Ram have a meeting with the priest at 1100 at the church on Tuesday. At 1400, you have a meeting with Sheriff West here at the ranch. He's bringing Smoltz with him to introduce him to the men." He flipped through a stack of papers in his hands. "Crash is due in Wednesday, he's staying with Deeter. Sissy needs you to, as she said it, 'take a look see' at the cake and okay the final product on Wednesday afternoon. There's something Momma calls a cleaning party as soon as we get back from picking up Ella, Thursday. You have your final dress fitting with Ella Thursday night before supper." I sighed and tried to pay attention. Bobby slid a paper over to me, I noticed it had all the appointments, events and what not listed in chronological order.

"Thanks Bobby. I don't know how I would keep it all straight in my head." Evan rubbed my back with his hands, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of my muscles finally relaxing.

"How's your stress level, Baby girl?" Tank asked, concerned.

"So far, it's okay today. Nothing major." I sighed as Evan worked a particularly knotty protion of my back. I opened one eyes to look at Tank. "Why? Are we expecting something to happen?"

"Always vigilant, always aware." I smiled at his motto. "But I'm expecting this to be a routine job."

"A routine job?" I scoffed and rolled my eyes, "To you 'redecorating a crack den' is a routine job." I remembered the first time I had met Tank, Bobby and Lester. Ranger asked me to tag along so I could earn some extra money, not long after I had met him. We emptied an apartment of crack whores and junkies. Needless to say, it wasn't what I had in mind when Ranger said redecorating. Tank threw a guy out of the third story window after pissing him off. Thankfully he landed on the fire escape. I smiled as I thought back, my eyes glassed over.

"Uh, oh. She's remembering that night." Tank said, wary of what I might say.

Lester gave his lopsided grin, as he remembered, "I remember that's the night we met her for the first time. I told her 'Man, you don't like to get shot. You don't like to get arrested. You don't know how to have fun at all.' (1)" He chuckled and watched me come out of my memory.

"Well, how was I to know that 'redecorating' meant Tank got to throw a guy out of the third story window." I retorted with a grimace.

"Or getting shot." Ranger added. All the guys nodded in a solemn manner. I dropped my head into my hands.

"I was wearing a vest. I just got knocked out from hitting my head." He said defensively, his eyes narrowed at Ranger for bringing it up.

"Man, that was nothing compared to what Beautiful went through. The guy blew up the apartment with his homemade suicide vest." I cringed remembering that as well.

"Alright! Enough of memory lane. I want to know what you plan on doing if this psycho comes after me." I huffed out crossing my arms over my chest.

"Babe. You're covered."

"Fine! I trust you guys, but there's one thing I want to know about. When you were giving the briefing you told both Killer and Giant their position had a 270 and Scorch's had 360. What does that mean?"

"270 and 360 degrees field of vision to fire, if need be." Evan replied, fielding the tactical weapons question.

"Oh, okay." I laid my hands in my lap and tried not to open my mouth again for fear I would look stupid in front of the guys again.

Ranger turned to Momma, "Momma, the men will be responsible for feeding themselves. We brought enough supplies for them to do so."

She nodded and smiled, "Good. I was wondering how we were going to feed all of them at one time." She looked relieved as she began to relax. Pop slung his arm over the back of her chair and she leaned into him.

"Speaking of which, Bomber, time for you to eat a nutritious lunch." I made a face and tried not to make a gagging sound. Ranger remained blank faced, Tank and Evan chuckled at my reaction, Lester grinned, while Bobby looked put out. Momma rolled her eyes and told Bobby, "Robert. I know how to care for a pregnant woman. I had three strapping young boys. I survived and so will she. Now leave my Darlin' alone." He backed off immediately.

"Yes, Momma." I giggled at Momma calling him Robert. Nobody I know of has ever called him that, ever. Until now.

Momma made me lunch as the men discussed different tactical advantages to different positions around the ranch. I rolled my eyes as I dug into a very tasty turkey sandwich, BBQ chips and a glass of orange juice. I had just polished off the last of my juice when Justin asked the $64,000 question.

"Any idea of who the maniac is?"

"It's gotta be someone local. Sheriff West said that Brittany has had numerous men visiting her in jail. Besides, who else would know the area well enough to attack Les and I the other day?"

"I think Babe is right. This psycho knows the lay of the land."

"What about the pizza box?" Junior asked.

"Could have made a trip to Trenton." Bobby suggested. Ranger frowned and nodded.

"That's what I was afraid of. A globe trotting local." I tried not to smile, but the way he said it made me giggle. The looks of utter disbelief made me stop fairly quickly.

"What? The way he said it, was funny." I replied a little indignant.

"Babe."

"Angel."

"Bomber."

"Baby girl."

"Beautiful."

"Shorty."

"Honey."

"WHAT?" I shouted, after I had heard almost every nickname I had for the last four years.

"That was uncalled for." I rolled my eyes at Evan.

"Look. I'm stuck with a bad ass mercenary security force, I can't go anywhere alone and I'm going a little batty here. So, if I find something Ranger says funny, then I'm going to laugh!" I was bright red in the face.

Momma patted me on the back, "Leave her be. Pregnancy hormones are horrible starting around this time. Emotions can get all cattywhompus." She patted my shoulder as tears slid down my face.

Evan made his way to me, dropped to his knees on the floor and held my face in his hands. "Angel. I'm sorry. Do you want me to hold you?" I nodded in agreement. Evan lifted me into his arms, settled me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. I sighed and relaxed into his chest, thankful he had offered his lap to me.

Tank sighed, rubbing his face with his gigantic hands. "So how long do these mood swings last?"

Bobby sighed and stated, "They can last the entire pregnancy. For some women it fazes out after a few months, for others it can last even after delivery." Ranger gave an almost audible sigh, and steepled his fingers together, his elbows on the table.

"Good God!" Momma admonished. "You men all act as if she has a contagious disease. She just pregnant! You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Darlin' is still the same person you all know, there's just a little one growing inside of her."

The guys all hung their heads and tried not to show their embarrassment too much.

"We're sorry Angel. Forgive us?" Evan whispered into my ear. I wiped away the last of my tears, and snuggled into his shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess." I sighed, tired already from all the hub-bub. Without turning my head, I asked, "Tank? What on the agenda for the rest of today?"

"Setting up the living quarters. The Comm tent should be finished by now." I opened one eye to look across the table at Ranger.

"If I want to ride Comfort, I still have to have an escort?" He nodded and I resigned myself to the fact I was stuck with bodyguards for the remainder of the week. "Well, you better get a couple of guys together who can ride, because I want to go." I rose from Evan's lap and headed out the door to the horse barn, with Pop right on my heels.

"Honey? Let me help you get Comfort all saddled up and ready." I hugged my arm around Pop's waist as we walked together to the barn.

Ten minutes later Pop and I had Comfort saddled and stood by as four huge Rangemen finished saddling their mounts. Wolf, Manny, Chase and Leif we my guards for my time away from the chaos of the ranch. I kissed Pop's cheek, "Thanks Pop. I'll be back in a while. Need some time to de-stress."

He smiled and squeezed my arm gently, "Honey, you do what you need to do." He placed a hand over my belly. "Just make sure you take good care of my little Peanut."

"Yes, Sir." I pulled myself into the saddle and nodded to the men surrounding me. "Mount up. I feel like a trail ride today. Just make sure you all keep up." I grinned and kicked Comfort in the sides. He vaulted out of the barn, by the time we hit the edge of the yard, Comfort was at a decent trot. I leaned down to his neck and told him, "Go for it!" He broke free and floored it. We streaked across the first pasture, leaving my guards in the dust. A large portion of the men working to put up the tents next to the bunkhouses stopped to watch us fly across the prairie.

The feeling of the wind rushing past my face and through my hair washed away any lingering effects the stress of the wedding was having on me. I felt free and untethered, something I missed dearly. The tell-tale hoof beats from other horses reminded me that we had company and I shouldn't lose them. I reigned Comfort back to a canter, allowing the guys to catch up. We rode the western fence line until Manny made his way over to me. The entire ride, the men had remained silent, allowing me my freedom.

"Wifey?" I grinned and halted Comfort on a small rise over looking the vast expanses of grass before us. "You're looking better."

"Thanks. I feel a lot better. Never thought a city girl like me could love riding as much as I do. Comfort makes it so easy." I patted my buddy on his neck, he bounced his head and nickered. "I see you know how to ride." We urged our horses into a slow walk.

"Yeah. I used to visit my uncle and aunt in Kentucky for a couple of weeks every summer when I was a kid."

"Sounds like you had fun." I scratched my arm, trying not to look at him directly.

"Yeah. Chase tells me, he's got a couple of horses back home." I looked up to see Chase. He was from the Boston office, I had met him once and instantly liked him.

"You have horses too?" He grinned and nodded.

I his smooth southern drawl he answered. "Yes, Ma'am." I loved when he talked, it made me feel all squishy inside. "My Momma and Daddy have a ranch in eastern Texas."

"So you grew up in a small town like Evan did? And please stop calling me Ma'am. Call me Steph." He flushed slightly.

"Yes, Ma'am... I mean Steph." He sighed and looked a little home sick. "I grew up in a small town north of Tyler. Only about 150 people in town. Powderville reminds me of home."

"Do you get to go home often?" He frowned and shook his head.

"No. I haven't been back in nine years. My parents and I had a falling out before I joined the Army. Haven't been back since." His voice was full of raw emotion. I felt badly for him and I tried to soften the pain.

"Well, if it's any consolation, think of Rangeman as family. A whole mess of bratty brothers and a pain in the ass sister." He grinned and seemed to perk up.

"Not to mention a little niece or nephew on the way." I patted my belly and giggled.

"I have a sneaking suspicion it's a boy."

"Have you told Ram yet?" Wolf asked.

"No. Can I tell you something?" They all nodded and smiled.

"I had a dream just after Evan and I got engaged." I proceeded to tell them about the little boy, the baby girl and the whole group of uncles. Wolf nodded grimly.

"In my culture, powerful Shamens have dreams like yours. They consider them to be a look into the future."

"Momma said something similar. She said the women in the family have these dreams also."

"Maybe you were an member of the Dine' in another life." Wolf suggested. "In my culture, we do not call ourselves the Navajo, we call ourselves the Dine'." I grinned and shielded my eyes from the low lying sun.

"It's possible." I wasn't sure about the whole reincarnation thing, but it sounded interesting.

"If you don't mind, may name you?" Wolf asked, watching me fix the reign lines in my hands.

"Sure."

"Normally, an elder or Shamen names you. but in this case since I am the only member of my tribe represented, I think it will not matter." His gaze swept the landscape around us, drawing my eyes to follow his.

"Adeezhi ya'." I grinned at the name, sounding it out a few times before he explained it to me. "Adeezhi, means sister. Ya', means sky. Because your heart is open like the sky and a sister to us all, it fits. You are Sister Sky. But I will call you Adheezi for short."

I reached over the short distance between our mounts and patted him on the hand. "Wolf. I would be honored to be Sister Sky."

"Well, we better head back to the ranch. We've been gone almost four hours and it's starting to get late." I turned Comfort around and headed back to the ranch straight across the prairie. "Wolf?"

"Yes, Adeezhi?"

"What is your name in your native language?"

He grinned and replied, "Atsah besh le gai. It means Silver Eagle."

"How come we don't call you that, or just Eagle even?" I asked confused.

"Because Adeezhi, we usually have a call sign. Very few of the men at Rangeman, don't use their call sing anymore."

I tilted my head to the side thinking about it. It was true, very few of the guys didn't use their call sign. I knew Manny didn't.

"Hey, Manny. How come you don't use your call sign?"

"I hated it."He replied, undaunted. "It was Twerp." I tried to hid my smile behind my blank face but failed miserably.

"Yeah, yeah. Yuk it up sister." Wolf grinned at him and Chase just laughed.

Manny got defensive and asked, "So, Chase. You going to tell Wifey here your first name?"

Chase's laugh died on his lips and he grew really quiet. That peaked my interest and I prodded him.

"Come on Chase. Now you have to tell me." I turned around to Wolf and said, "Wolf and I won't tell. We promise."

He hesitated before he spoke. "It's Ashley." He blushed and turned away from us for a moment to collect himself.

"That a beautiful name. Like on Gone With The Wind."

"Yeah. Old family name." He groaned, "Wished my parents had just names me something normal."

"Well, I'm glad they didn't." My smile must have appeased him, because he gave me a heart stopping smile.

All was well, until I felt a familiar tingle on the back of my neck. It made me stomach feel all queasy and I quickly looked around us, surveying the landscape. Wolf halted his horse and began to look around as well. "What is it Adeezhi?"

"My spidey sense is tingling. Something is wrong." I could make out in the distance a dark lump sitting on the rise of a far away hill. Wolf saw it the same time I did and he stiffened in his saddle.

"Adeezhi, you and Manny head back to the ranch." He turned to Manny, "Protect her with your life." They exchanged a nod and I kicked Comfort into a run. Manny and I streaked across the prairie as fast as our mounts could carry us. We only slowed slightly as we approached the ranch. The men who were milling about stopped to watch us. Noticing there was only two of us they came running, guns drawn, eyes watching the horizon.

"Baby girl!" I could hear Tank's deep voice cutting through the chaotic chatter of the men. They instantly grew quiet and listened.

"My spidey sense went off." I huffed, out of breath.

Manny filled him in on what happened. "Wolf and Chase stayed to investigate."

"What was it?" Tank asked me, as he helped me off of Comfort.

"I don't know. A bear? A mountain lion? I have no idea." I led Comfort back to the barn with Manny pulling his mount behind him. Tank and a few of the men followed. The remainder stood guard outside the barn and around the perimeter of the yard. Ranger and Evan soon ran into the barn to find us wiping down the horses.

"Angel!" Evan scooped me up into his arms crushing me with a massive hug.

"Baby. I'm alright. The guys took care of me. Manny had my back." I glanced over at him and gave him a warm smile. Evan and Ranger peppered us with questions until Wolf and Chase returned almost twenty minutes later. They had something rolled into a blanket and lashed to the back of Chase's horse and it smelled horrible.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, the back of my hand over my nose, trying to block the retched smell from entering my nose.

Wolf looked to Evan and recommended, "Adheezi, you may want to go into the house. This isn't something you want to see." I paled a little and Manny led me into the house to Momma.

An hour later, after Smoltz left the ranch, the core team, Chase, Wolf and Manny, all assembled at the kitchen table with me. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" I demanded, as I stomped my foot and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Angel. Your spidey sense was right. Something was wrong."

"I got that when Bear showed up. Now what the hell is going on?" My voice began to rise slightly and it seemed to make the guys all a bit nervous.

"Uh, Bomber, you better sit down." Bobby instructed. He grabbed his medic bag and set it down on the table in front of me.

I turned to him and asked, "I'm not going to like this, am I?" He shook his head and waited for Ranger to speak.

"Babe. They found human remains." I blanched a little and stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"They found what was left of a person on the top of that hill." Evan stated, rubbing my back with the palm of his hand.

"Ewww." I made a face and shifted in my seat. "Does Bear know who it is?"

"Yeah. She's been missing for over six months now."

"She?"

"Yeah. A woman from Ekalaka. She was last seen visiting Brittany before she disappeared." My jaw dropped and I knew we were in deep crap.

"Brittany?" I gasped. "What the hell does that bitch have to do with this?"

"She was the prime suspect. But without any evidence and witnesses who state they saw the woman leave town, nothing happened to Brittany."

I dropped my head into my hands. "Lord! What else can go wrong?" I whined.

"It'll all be alright, Angel. Wolf is taking Bear back out to the site first thing in the morning. This has nothing to do with you. You'll be alright." He kissed the side of my head as Bobby hooked the BP cuff to my upper arm. The whoosh of the balloon being squeezed was the only sound that tainted the quiet of the kitchen. The slow hiss of the air releasing from the cuff, made me sigh. "Is it bad?" I asked, looking into Bobby's eyes.

"Nope. You're good. That ride must have done wonders for you." I grinned and rolled my eyes. "And who's Adwheezy?"

I giggled, "Adheezi Ya. That's me. Wolf named me in Navajo." I turned to look at him. He sat there with his blank face on giving away nothing to the guys. "It means Sister Sky."

"Cool." Les said, "But I still get to be the only one to call you Beautiful." I smiled and leaned into Evan's chest. He drew onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me.

"Fine. But, I want to know about this woman that died." I could feel the vibration from a silent growl from Evan.

"Angel. Do not get involved. This is something Bear has been working on for the last six months. Let him do his job."

I rolled my eyes and huffed out, "Fine." Okay, so I told him I would. I know me better. I had to know more about what was going on.

A/N: The cited quote comes from Janet Evanovich's High Five, page 32, hard bound copy.

Please R&R I love to read them. They make my day!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17:**

Supper was a quiet affair. No rowdy guys chatting, no laughter, no teasing. For the most part it was the Ramseys and myself. The guys were out in the bunkhouses and tents eating their meals, leaving us in peace. It felt odd, knowing the guys were just yards away, and yet I felt so far. Evan watched me throughout the meal, as I pushed most of my food around the plate. He knew something was wrong when I refused a piece of Momma's cherry pie. Thankfully, he waited to talk to me until supper was over and I headed upstairs to shower and change.

Following me up stairs and into the bedroom he remained quiet as a church mouse. The feeling of having a silent shadow irked me to the point where I broke the silence. "Evan? Is there some reason why you're following me?" My hands rested on my hips and my face held a slightly peeved look.

"Angel. Something's going on in that pretty little head of yours and I don't like it. You hardly ate supper _AND _you turned down a piece of Momma's pie. What's wrong?" He sidled up to me, placing his hands over mine on my hips.

"Nothing." I tried to put him off. "Nothings wrong." I turned around to face away from him.

Evan snaked his arms around me wrapping me in a warm and delicious hug I couldn't resist. Leaning back into him, I sighed. "It's just that poor woman. How did she die?"

I felt him tense for an instant before he relaxed. "Wolf found three rounds in her skull." As much I tried, I couldn't suppress the shudder that wracked my body.

"That poor woman. Can we send a bouquet of flowers to her parents? In condolences?"

"Sure, Angel. We'll send one from our family and one from Rangeman. Will that make you stop thinking about it?" He asked, hope filling his voice.

Shrugging, I answered, "I'll try."

"You want any company in the shower?" He asked, trailing his finger along the nape of my neck. A familiar warm feeling crept from my belly outward.

"Maybe. If you promise to be a good boy." I teased. He dropped his hands from my side and began to hop from foot to foot, a childlike giggle erupted from him.

"Oh, goody! I get to play!" The wide smile that graced his face made me giggle and I dragged him into the bathroom.

We took our time washing ourselves. Evan helped me wash and condition my hair, while I helped his scrub his back. My hands lingered a little too long on his ass cheeks and he noticed. "Angel. You still awake back there?" I could see his body jerking slightly from the soft laughter that bubbled out of him. "I have a spot up here that could use some attention." I grinned and spun him around to see him pointing to... his chest? What the hell? He could tell by the look on my face I was confused. "Angel. That needs attention too. But I want to feel your hands on my chest." I blushed and dropped my head, eyes closed.

"Sorry. I always have my mind in the gutter, don't I?"

"It's alright, Angel. Most of the time, I have a hard time concentrating because I think about all the things I've done with you and want to do to you." He lifted my chin with his fingertip. "I love you Stephanie."

"I love you too Evan." I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. The large lump that bumped into my belly made me laugh. "Little Ram loves me too." He laughed, stroking my back with his wet, soapy hands. They found their way under my ass, lifting me so my face was even with his.

"Angel. He misses you all the time." Our lips met gently, showing each other the depth of our love. My head swam, no focused thought other than Evan. My legs wrapped around his waist, brushing my wet core over his rock hard shaft. He groaned at the friction, and thrust his hips playfully. We nipped, nibbled as our tongues dueled, our hands roamed and moans filled the air.

Finally, he dropped his head to my chest and I leaned back allowing his full access. His teeth caught a nipple grazing it gently, a soft moan erupted from my lips, my eyes fluttered shut and I held my breath. The exquisite feeling of his tongues circling my nipples made me shake with need, my body dripping wet for him. The moment he bit down on one of my nipples, I exploded. The dots that formed behind my eyelids, turned into stars that burst in every direction. I screamed his name, clawing at his back. He held me tightly, as I descended from the heights.

"Angel. I need you." He ground out between gritted teeth. He was clinging to the last of his control, desperate to have me slow. "We need the bed. Now." He shut off the water, I slowly slid down his body, brushing myself across Little Ram, who, by the way, wasn't little at all. We towel dried off quickly and made our way into the bedroom. I shrieked as he picked me up from behind and laid me on the bed face down. "I need to take you all in. Let me love you." I moaned as his lips brushed across my lower back. He began to kiss the nape of my neck, making goosebumps flash across my skin in an instant. The tip of his tongue swept down my spine to the middle of my back. "I love the taste of your skin. It tastes like sugar and honeysuckle."

I moaned as he kneaded my ass cheeks with his more than capable hands. His tongue found the very sensitive skin along the back of my legs. I almost jumped off of the bed, felling it drag across the back of my knees. I was completely gushing from my center at this point, I was desperate to have him inside me, filling me, making me scream his name. "Evan, please. I need you. Make love to me... Please!" I begged for relief.

His throaty laugh made me quiver, "Angel. I'm all yours." He rolled me over in one swift motion and had me pinned beneath him, his knees spreading mine apart. The tip of his shaft hovered over my entrance, and he dipped his head to capture my lips with his a moment before he thrust himself inside me. I screamed into his mouth as he filled me. I closed my eyes, threw my head back, arching into him, a moan pierced the air.

As soon as he regained his breath, Evan began to slowly work himself in and out. I clawed at his back, raked my fingernails over his ass cheeks in an attempt to speed his tempo up, but Evan retained the same slow, smooth rhythm. The feeling of his filling me over and over again made me lose all self awareness and I made it all about Evan. I lifted my hips slightly to give him better penetration, it garnered a satisfying groan from him, and a slightly quicker pace. My hands raked over his chest, my fingers quickly working his nipples into hard buds. His breathing hitched and his head fell back as he quickened his thrusts. I ran my hand over his head and to his neck, tracing the shell of his right ear with my fingertips. It sent all his control out of the window. He began to pound into me, making me pant and gasp for air. I clawed at his back at the warm feeling in my belly worked its way all over my body. A sizzle began in my doodah and the instant he bit the flesh of my shoulder, I blew apart. My head flew back, I screamed his name, my whole body shuddered as my walls clamped down on him hard, making him lose it as well. He grunted my name, crushed me against him as he thrust a few more times emptying himself into me. I was in a daze, lightheaded, dizzy and completely satisfied.

Ten minutes later we were still laying in the same positions as before, when a soft knock was heard at the door. Evan threw the blanket over me, dragged on a pair of basketball shorts and opened the door to a grinning Lester. "What?" Evan asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Dude! You should shut your window next time you two plan on knocking boots." I whipped my head around to see that indeed, the window was wide open. I dragged the pillow over my face and nearly died of embarrassment. Les walked in and sat on the edge of the bed facing away from me. "Beautiful. it's nothing to be ashamed of. Of the guys that did hear it, they're all speechless. They want a woman to make love to them like you do to Ram. Besides, now they all think Ram's got some secret weapon to make you want him so much." Les grinned and poked at my leg through the blanket.

I pulled the pillow off for a second to respond. "Yeah, he does. It's called Little Ram, but it's not little." I giggled and pulled the pillow back over my face. Evan grinned wide and bumped knuckles with Les.

"Alright. Out of here. Angel needs her rest." Evan said guiding Les back to the door.

"Yeah, after a round like that, I'd need rest too." Les waggled his eyebrows at Evan and scooted out the door before Evan could punch him.

"Angel? You alright?" Evan asked, tracing his finger along the top of the blanket. I peaked out and saw that Les was gone.

"Yeah. A little embarrassed." I paused and thought for a moment. "Okay, more than a little, I'm embarrassed a lot!"

Evan smiled sweetly and told me, "Angel. They're just jealous." I snuggled my face into the side of his leg and sighed.

"They better be. I'm not putting on another show for them again, so they better have enjoyed it." Evan's laugh rang out and filled the room.

"You ready for bed already?" I nodded and began to drift off.

"I'll be back in a little while. I have to check in with Ranger and then I'll be right back."

"M'kay. Love you." I murmured.

"Love you too, Angel." He kissed the top of my head before he waked out the door and I fell asleep.

The next morning I awoke at my usual 0430 and dressed in my running gear before Evan was awake. I could hear his even breathing as I leaned over to kiss him. My lips brushed over his as he stirred. His long blond lashes fluttered open to reveal the big green eyes I could easily get lost in. "Morning sleepy head. It's already 0445. You getting up?" He stretched his arms and legs, growling deep in his chest.

"Yeah. Go on down stairs, I'll be down in five." I kissed him quickly and closed the door behind me. As I descended the stairs I could hear a large group of guys all chatting in the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to find not only Justin, Junior, Momma and Pop, but the core team as well all sipping coffee and eating. My hyead tilted into the air as I stepped into the kitchen, detecting the strong odor of cinnamon, sugar and butter.

"Morning Darlin'! I have your juice ready for you. I just made some cinnamon rolls would you like one?" I just about flew across the kitchen and shoved one of the cinnaminny sugary goodness into my mouth. The looks on the guys faces as I finished moaning from the first bite was priceless.

"What?" I asked, shoving in another mouthful.

Cal swallowed hard and handed Hal a one hundred dollar bill. I grinned and told Hal. "I get half, remember. Both of you agreed that if you bet on me, you'd have to share." Hal blushed and shook his head.

"Bet wasn't on you Bomber. It was on Cal." He grinned and elbowed Cal in the side. I looked at them both and decided not to ask right then and there.

"Momma. When did you have time to make these?" I asked, selecting another from the pan.

"Oh, since the boys were here, they took care of the chores for us. I got up and the girls were all milked, the eggs collected, the stalls mucked, the animals fed and everything shipshape." She grinned at Ranger before she pinched his cheek. To all our surprise, he allowed it and even looked like he blushed. "Carlos even helped me make the rolls." most of the men turned in their seats to stare at Ranger, who stood his ground with his blank face in place.

"Ranger helped?" Hal asked in disbelief.

"Oh, he can cook and bake." I offered, "He makes a killer flan." The guys eyes all shifted off of Ranger and onto me.

"What?" I said, stuffing the last of my third roll into my mouth. "No one ever asked me." Ranger winked at me and I grinned.

Evan walked in just at that moment and noticed the shocked reactions on the guys faces. Cal asked him, "Dude. Did you know Ranger can cook?"

Evan shrugged his shoulders, "No. But I think his Momma would have whupped his ass if he didn't learn when he was a kid."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, a little curious.

"She seems like the type to make sure her little ones could fend for themselves when they got older." He shoved a whole roll into his mouth and washed it down with half of his gigantic mug of coffee. "Besides, she told me a while back that if I ever had trouble baking anything, I could ask Ranger." I blinked a few times before my brain could engage.

"She did?" Ranger just stood there like a statue, while Evan proceeded to decimate the pan of rolls.

"Yup." He finished off the last of his sixth roll and asked, "Is everyone running this morning?"

I glanced around and saw the guys all dressed in their workout gear and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like they want to get their asses kicked by me again."

Tank sighed and rubbed his bald head with the palm of his hand. "Yeah. I remember last time."

"Well, let's boogie. I got things to do today." I stood up and drained the last of my juice.

"Yeah? Like what?" Lester asked, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Like make lots of fertilizer with those stupid ground squirrels." The guys all chuckled and headed out the door after me in a single file line.

Outside, I found the majority of the men stretching and readying themselves for the morning run. "Morning boys!" I greeted, a few of them grumbled for having to get up early. After spending a few minutes to stretch myself, I asked Ranger, "We ready to roll?"

"Babe." He turned to the men and barked, "Formation!" The guys scrambled into rows of four, with the core team in front. I placed myself in front of Evan and next to Ranger. "Forward March!" The men all kept in step as they lumbered along at a steady pace, it was fun for a while as I could hear the foot falls all in time with one another. But after five minutes I began to get antsy and turned my head to Ranger.

"Alright. I did it for a while. Can I please run?" I whined.

"Babe." He rolled his eyes and Barked, "Chase, Flash, Gomez and Slick escort Babe." They fell out of their rows and ran up to meet us in front. A chorus of "Sir, yes, Sirs!" were followed by smiles.

I turned around running backwards and taunted them, "I hope you can keep up. I plan on running to the gate and back twice." And with that I turned around and sped up. A few minutes later I hit my stride and noticed the guys were all keeping up with me. I grinned and then focused on my run. We made it to the gate, I slapped the bars, and turned around. The sound of hands slapping the gate made me giggle and then we ran back at our fast pace. After we had passed the halfway point we passed the formation of Rangemen, I heard a few grumbles and I rolled my eyes. Chase and Flash both kept directly on the right and left of me while Gomez and Slick covered my six.

We made it to the yard and I made a lap around the barn before heading back onto the road. By this time, a sheen of sweat had covered the guys and they had removed their shirts, tucking them into their shorts. I had removed my top and ran in my sports bra. I could hear Slick mutter under his breath, "Fucking lucky bastard!" It made me smile wide and look at Chase who chuckled. We passed they guys just after they had hit the gate and were taking a quick break. I rolled my eyes, slapped the gate and slowed to a walk.

"Babe. Good run?" Ranger asked, wiping a bead of sweat out of his eyes. I nodded, kissed Evan on the lips with a loud smack and waved bye. Chase, Flash, Gomez and Slick were right on my tail as I took off. We ran back to the house in near silence. The only sounds heard were breathing and footfalls. We slowed to a walk as we neared the house and I raised my hands over my head, breathing in deeply. We cooled down for a good ten minutes before we could hear the sounds of pounding feet and breathing. I turned around to see the men sprinting back to the yard. I watched in fascination as the men gave the last half mile all they had left. I was able to recognize the clear leader, running a good fifty yards ahead of everyone else. Lester was streaked across the yard to be the first one to slap the side of the silo. He raised his hands in triumph and walked around breathing heavily, trying to cool down.

"Lester Santos! Why are you slapping the side of the grain silo?" I shouted across the yard as the other guys began to trickle in. Ranger was the second across the yard to the silo. Watching him was like poetry. A few more men ran into the yard, followed by Evan. I loved to watch him run, it made certain parts of me warm up and tingle. I couldn't help it, I walked over to him and ran my fingernails across his washboard abs and down his back. He growled, making my nipples hard. A light chuckle from behind us made me turn on a dime.

"Babe, Please. We already got an earful last night." I blushed and nearly died of embarrassment.

"Ranger!" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"What? It's not like we haven't heard you moan when eating something before. What makes this any different?"

"It wasn't food I was enjoying." I retorted and turned to give Evan a kiss. He stood there grinning at Ranger before he followed me into the house.

I finished off another two cinnamon rolls with a glass of milk while sitting around with the guys in the barn as they ate their breakfast. I noticed most of the guys eyed my rolls with envy but remained quiet. I slid extra rolls to Manny, Wolf, Chase, Slick, Gomez and Flash. They had all helped me out in the last two days and deserved a little reward. As always, they were more than grateful, each giving me hugs in thanks. I leaned against Flash as he finished his rolls off.

"You always treat you guys like this?" He asked, licking the icing off of his fingers.

"Yeah. They deserve it, after Bomber duty, they need a little pick me up." He chuckled and bumped shoulders with me. "Ask Manny. He'll tell you, it's no picnic."

Manny frowned and rubbed his chest as he remembered what had happened to him during the whole Scrog incident. "Yeah. It's a bitch." He grinned, took my hand in his and kissed the top gently. "But the recovery in the hospital was worth it." I smiled and patted his hand with mine.

I turned to the boys sitting in our group, "Especially since you married me first." I kissed his cheek, much to the chagrine of the other guys.

"What?" Chase was floored.

I raised my hands and giggled. "No,no,no. It's not what you think. The only way the ER staff would allow me back was to tell them I was Mrs. Manny Ramos. From then on, the ER staff teased me by calling me 'The Mrs.' anytime the guys were admitted and I wanted to stay with them there." Slick nodded his head.

"Yeah, you had to be sedated the time Ram got shot. Brown sedated her to force her to rest." He smiled at me as he continued. "And when Santos got attacked on his run a few months ago. She was forced to leave his side. She nursed him back to health." I blushed and looked at the table to avoid the looks from the guys.

"Look. You guys all put your lives on the line everyday. The only time I am at risk is when I'm chasing a skip or when I have a stalker. The least I can do for you all is help to take care of you."

"Angel, you care for us in so many ways." I felt his hand rest on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see him smile down at me. "You sit by our bedside, tend to us when we need a nurse, sneak us sweets when we really need one, lift our spirits when we're down, make us laugh and smile when we have forgotten how, and every man inhere has had some type of experience with you whether it was firsthand or secondhand. You're original and someone we love." I smiled and felt humbled.

"I'm just doing something that I know you all would do for me." I fidgeted with my hands. Evan knelt down to my side, as we were all sitting on the ground of the barn.

"Angel. You're the one thing that makes it worth it working at Rangeman." All the guys nodded in agreement and smiled.

"Adeezhi, I had offers to work with several different companies over the years, but I couldn't leave you." He shifted his eyes to look at the rafters, "Nothing they offered me could come close to working with you." I blushed again and bumped knuckles with him.

"Thanks Wolf. It means do much to me to know you guys really care about me..." He shook his head and held up a hand to stop me from going any further.

"Adeezhi, we don't just care about you. We love you. Plain and simple. We love you. You're the sister we always wanted and the wife only one of us will ever have." I nearly cried from Wolf's comments and leaned into Evan for support.

"Thank you. You guys make my day, every day."

After eating, the men gathered their rifles and assembled at the bunkhouse and tents. I helped Evan in the gun room in the house. He showed me how to unlock the floor safe and pulled out his pride and joy, his rifle he taught me how to shoot ground squirrels with the last time we were here at the ranch. I filed the combination away in my memory bank and helped him carry boxes of ammo out to the guys, while he carried ammo and the rifle.

Some of the guys loaded up into the work trucks, while the core team loaded up onto the flatbed. The remainder walked behind us, while we drove out to the far pasture where Pop had lost two more steers to broken legs caused by the squirrel holes. We set up tables, chairs, sandbags, ammo and the rifles. Everyone would have a shot to shoot. Evan, being the Range Master in Trenton and son of the land owner, was in charge.

Evan climbed up onto the back of the truck, holding his hands up to gain everyone's attention. "Yo!" All the guys quieted down. "Alright. I'm running this show. Any questions ask me." He pointed out toward the pasture. We're cleaning house! Only ground squirrels are to be shot. Prairie Dogs are not! If you do not know what they look like, wait a few minutes and I will show you. You all know I stress safety. Between the fence line to the north and the fenceline to the south are the designation for the safe to fire zone. You are not to fire unless you are cleared to do so. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir." The guys said in unison, with a smattering of "Hoorahs!" mixed in. I smiled and sat back to watch.

"I have extra hearing and eye protection, if you need them. We will allow fifteen minutes per shooter, except Angel. She will have clearance to fire at any time."

"Who's up first?" A bunch of guys all crowded into a single file line, I watched as Evan handed out boxes of rounds. Evan held the first men aside and set up his rifle on the table. He fiddled with the scope and set it up to his liking.I made sure to cover my ears with my ear protection muffs and place my glasses over my eyes as Evan had taught me. The guys all did the same. After loading it, he closed his eyes for a second to center himself. The men grew quiet and watched with interest. Evan glassed the field for a moment before seeing what he wanted. "Firing!" He aimed and after a heartbeat he fired and after a second a small spray of pink mist fluffed into the air around fifty yards down the field. He held up his hands and shouted, "Cease fire!" After a nod from Evan, Toad ran down to the victim and brought back the carcass for the men to see.

Holding up the decimated squirrel, he shouted to the men, "This is what you're aiming for. Note the coloring. Ground squirrels are more grey in color than the Prairie dogs. Alright. You may begin firing."

The first group of men, six in all, set up and began to glass the field. Soon the sounds of rifles firing echoed from the weapons and puffs of pink mist began to spray into the air. The first fifteen minutes ticked by quickly and Evan called "Cease fire!" The men cleared their weapons and all indicated that they were good. Evan glassed the area with his binoculars and smiled. "Alright next group." The first men switched out and allowed the second group to take their place. I slid off of the truck bed and walked up to Evan.

"I want to try."

"Okay, Angel. Let's get you set up with my rifle." I smiled and allowed Evan to set me up. After I sat in the chair provided for me, I patiently waited for him to give the order. "You may begin firing." I loaded the rifle and began to glass the far end of the pasture. It must have been a good 800 yards when I saw the little head poke up. The sound of the rifles around me, faded into the background as I aimed. I made sure to move my face back from the scope a good five inches and sighted the little bastard again. It popped it's head up and I squeezed the trigger. Two seconds later I watched as a pink mist puffed around the hole and the little bugger dropped dead. I pumped my fist and began to glass for more way down range. I managed to shoot four more before time was up. "Cease fire!" I cleared the rifle and gave Evan my all clear. He grinned and rolled his eyes at the guys.

"Come on! A girl is kicking your ass, again. She took out three at 800 yards and another two at almost 700 yards. What are you Pussies doing aiming for the close stuff?" The guys chuckled and eyed me warily.

From somewhere in the back I heard Killer taunt me, "But she's a ringer! Look who taught her." I grinned and stood on the chair to see him leaning against the bed of a work truck.

"Hey, Killer. Scared of a girl?" I shot back. The guys all whistled and egged us on. I'm sure I heard Les yell, "Kick his ass, Beautiful!" I grinned and gave him a 'come and get it' motion with my hand. He stood and waltzed over to me.

"The day I'm scared of a girl is the day hell freezes over." He set up his rifle and I patiently waited on him.

"Evan you better allow five more men to fire. We wouldn't want any of them to miss out." He nodded and allowed five more men to set up. After a good ten minutes, I heard Evan yell, "You may begin firing." I had my rifle aimed down range already and began to glass in the same area I had shot before. I shot two at the 750 yard range before I set my sights farther. I glassed at around 1100 yards and found a large pocket of squirrels sunning themselves. I aimed and managed to take out two in one shot. I pumped my fist and grinned wide. Since the others in that group scattered, for my last shot, I aimed at 1250 yards and found one sitting outside his hole. I aimed and fired. A bright pink mist puffed into the air just as Evan called "Cease Fire!" I cleared the rifle and looked to Killer.

Silvio and Ranger both shook their heads at Evan and looked at both of us. "Ram, Killer hit four at 800 yards, two misses and one hit at 1050 yards." Silvio stated. Killer had a smug look on his face, he winked and I rolled my eyes.

Ranger sported his usual blank face and stood a little taller. "Babe hit two at 750, 1100 yards one shot two kills, and one at 1250." Killers jaw dropped and I grinned. Evan dropped an arm over my shoulder. Ranger turned to Killer, "To set the record straight, I taught her to fire a pistol, Tank _and _Ram taught her to fire a rifle. She's a natural if I've ever seen one. If any of you have any doubts, feel free to match her shot for shot." Not one man moved or spoke. They all watched Ranger, defending me.

I rose to my feet and spoke, "Look, I'm not looking to make any waves, but if you have a problem with me, you better talk to me to my face. Understand?" I returned to my spot on the truck bed and resumed watching the guys. From somewhere in the crowd, I heard someone mention loudly, "Don't mess with her man. Not only is she part of the core team, she's a partner and she killed he ex. Shot him right in the heart." I cringed at the mention of Morelli. I just wanted to forget that it had even happened.

Ranger heard the comment as well and called the guy out. "Johnson! Front and center!" The man cringed and walked to stand in front of Ranger and the core team. "You failed to mention that Babe saved Ram. She fought Morelli hand to hand, broke two of his ribs with a nasty right hook. She shot him twice. Once in the heart, and once in the shoulder disabling his ability to fire." The man remained quiet, but his eyes widened in fear. "Morelli's bullet grazed her thigh and she sustained a couple of bruises. So if anyone questions her, they answer to the core team and myself."

Evan stood up and added to Ranger's speech. "All of you have heard the stories of Angel's cars, I'm sure. What you don't hear is that she has been nearly killed in almost all of them. She's been shot..." He looked to me for confirmation. I held out five fingers and he nodded. "She's been shot five times, mostly in the shoulders and once in the ass. She's been grazed by too many bullets to count, stunned, beaten, stabbed, tortured, burned, blown up, kidnapped, stalked and terrorized by too many people to count. So anyone who questions her or her abilities to do anything, take it up with me." He gave the most menacing look I've ever seen from him.

The guys remained quiet and the tension eased somewhat, so Evan shouted out, "Next group!" I watched for a while before I curled up on the bench seat of the truck I was sitting on and fell asleep under Evan's jacket. An hour later I found myself sitting in Hal's lap, while Cal had my legs in his lap.

"Hey, guys." I sat up to sin between them. I laid each of my hands on one of their knees. "I been out long?"

Hal shook his head. "Only about an hour."

"Good." I noticed we had moved to a different pasture to find more squirrels. I watched the guys when I remembered the bet Cal and Hal had this morning. "Hey, guys? Care to tell me about the bet this morning?" Cal paled and Hal chuckled.

"Uh... Bomber, I don't know if you really want to know." Cal tried to get me to give up.

"Unh, uh! Spill it." I watched him hesitate. "Spill it, or I'll tell Ranger you're the one who's been bringing in contraband." He stiffened and gave me a look.

"That's not me!"

"I know. But Ranger doesn't know that." I stated, an evil smile played on my lips.

"You're evil." He sighed resting his head against the steering wheel.

"You have no idea." I grinned and patted his knee. "Spill it."

"Fine! Hal bet me that I couldn't stop a stiffy from happening when you started to eat the cinnamon rolls. As you can tell, I lost." He blushed and glared at Hal who was chuckling.

"Aww... I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." I admitted, with a snicker. Cal hung his head as Hal handed me a $50 bill.

"You earned it, Bomber." Hal turned to Cal, "Dude, she gave me the idea." Cal stared at me before I winked at him.

I looked at Cal and tried not to smile. "Never bet against a sure thing." I patted the inner portion of his thigh and heard him groan. "See." I pointed to his crotch and giggled. "See, little Cal can't help himself." I motioned for Hal to slide out of the truck. Before I joined Evan at the table, I leaned over and gave both Cal and Hal each a kiss on the cheek. "Love you guys."

I pulled Hal down to my level, lowered my voice and whispered into his ear, "I need a favor Hal. Can you get me info on the dead woman Wolf found? I need it on the down low, don't you dare tell Ranger either. I mean it." I looked directly into his eyes, "If I catch wind of you telling anyone, I'll steal your boxers and freeze them in liquid nitrogen with you in them." He swallowed hard and nodded.

"I'll get it for you. Please don't hurt me, Bomber." I gave him a sly smile and dragged my fingernails across his chest, giving rise to Little Hal. I held out my hand and he handed over the other $50. "Good boy." I kissed his cheek and walked over to Evan. Hal resumed his place in the truck next to Cal, who was trying not to show himself for a while. I smiled and wrapped my arms around Evan's waist, giving him a slow and sexy kiss. Man, teasing the guys was always so much fun!

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. I always love seeing a new one pop up. Makes me all happy inside. I will try to have another chapter posted tomorrow, but please be patient. After tomorrow, I will be working six days a week for almost a month. So I will try to hash out as much as I can after work. I promise, I will finish this story as soon as I can. I'm anxious to work on another one of my stories. Anyway, thanks. Please read and review**.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters.**

**Chapter 18:**

Hal managed to get me background of the dead woman under the nose of the guys. He approached me after lunch and slipped me the file. "You tell anybody you did this for me and we're both dead meat." I told him as I slid the file into one of my suitcases.

"Bomber, I'd rather have my finger nails ripped out than narc on you." Hal stated, a grim look on his face.

He turned to leave and I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. "Hal? Thanks."

"Any time." He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

Returning to where the guys were exterminating the horrible fiends also known as ground squirrels, I found the core team taking their turn. Cal and Hal were setting themselves up while Ranger, Tank and Evan watched. Bobby was adjusting his scope and Les was inspecting his ammo. "You going to shoot, or are you going to fart around all day?" I asked, teasing the boys. I stood on the back of the truck bed, shielding my eyes from the mid day sun.

"Babe." Ranger chuckled and turned to Evan, "You sure you can handle her? She's such a smart ass." Evan gave me a toothy smile and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know? She is a handful." I picked up a pair of old worn leather work gloves and hurled them right at Evan's head. "See what I mean?" I stuck my tongue out at them and huffed out. I lowered myself to the ground and sat in one of the chairs at the shooting table.

"Set me up, Baby. I feel like killing those little bastards." Evan grinned and began to adjust the rifle for me.

"Baby girl? You gonna school us?" Tank asked, as he finished adjusting his scope.

"You know it." I began to glass the field looking for possible targets.

"Babe. Try to keep up." Ranger teased, rubbing the top of my right shoulder.

"I'd say the same to you, but I'm not sure you can." I scoffed, and gave him a sickly sweet smile.

"You throwing down?" Ranger asked, eyebrow raised.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings." I retorted and patted his ass. "Just sit there and look pretty."

The guys all busted out with guffaws and laughter. Tank slapped Ranger on the shoulder and told him, "Alright Bossman. You need a parasol to protect that pretty little skin of yours?" Ranger gave Tank a deadly look, enough to kill a normal man, but for Tank, it was a minor inconvienence.

"Let's shoot. They guys are getting antsy." The guys behind me were shift stances and chatting as they killed time until it was their turn.

Evan stood up and called to the men, "Clear the range!" Everyone except the core team stepped back, we all donned our eye and ear protection. "You may begin firing!"

A tough looking squirrel at 900 yards popped in and out of his hole for a moment before I fired. He flipped backwards and gave a nice puff of pink mist as the bullet hit him. I chuckled and began to glass for more. I found another at 1175 yards, but before I could fire, it was taken out by Ranger. I turned to look at him, giving him a glare. "Hey! Get your own squirrels." He grinned and kept glassing. I found another at 1240 yards, aimed and fired. Pink mist! Yes!

Ranger whistled and grinned at me, "Babe. You call that a shot?" He teased.

"Fucker. I'll show you." I could barely see the tiny little head of a squirrel pop up at over 1400 yards. I knew that I had never shot anything that far before, but to best Ranger, I was willing to give it a shot. I calmed my breathing, waited for my heart to beat and squeezed the trigger. It took nearly four seconds for the round to hit it's mark. A small puff of pink mist sprayed into the air and Evan went nuts.

"HOLY SHIT! DID YOU SEE THAT? SHE HIT AT OVER 1400!" Ranger scowled and began to glass in earnest.

I sat back, amazed that I had hit the little bugger. I noticed that Ranger was sighting in a target, adjusting a little here and a little there. He breathed out slowly, relaxed and fired. A small puff of dirt sprayed into the air and the sight of a little squirrel behind dashing back into the hole made me chuckle. Ranger growled and remained sighted on that hole until time was called a few minutes later.

"Cease fire!" Evan shouted, to a grumbling Ranger. We cleared our weapons and turned to look at each other. "Well, it seems that we have a clear cut winner between Angel and Ranger." I looked down at the dirt at my feet. I never really wanted to show Ranger up, I just wanted to show him that I was capable of doing it. I wanted to show him I was confident with a long range weapon.

I reached out and touched his hand, he drew me into a hug. "Babe. Nice shot." I smiled and hugged him back, thankful he wasn't angry with me. I began to giggle after he added, "Next time, shoot an apple off of Santos's head."

"Which one?" He rolled his eyes and gave me a 200-watt smile.

We finished off the guys and packed up the gear, loading it into the back of the work trucks. Bones offered to lift me into the back of the truck. "May I, Madam?" He asked

I held out my hand and allowed him to hoist me into the truck in one smooth motion. Evan watched as he slid in the last of the tables. I grinned and started to chat Bones up.

"Hey, Connie's going to be here Wednesday." He perked up, and focused his gaze on me. "She asked if you were going to be on security detail." He grinned and looked like he was about to blush.

"Naw, she don't want Bones. She wants a real man." Slick teased, slapping Bones on his back. "Although, I hear she's been eying you pretty good there, Bones."

"Lei e una donna molto bella." (She is a very beautiful woman.) Bones said in Italian to Slick.

Slick nodded and asked him, "Pensi che ogni italiano sa Bomber?" (Do you think Bomber knows any Italian?)

I grinned and replied before Bones could answer, "Si, lo so. Ma solo un po." (Yes, I do. But only a little.)

"Well I'll be damned!" Slick chuckled and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. "Bomber, you need any lessons?"

I tilted my head to the side and smiled. "I'd love to. Plus, I want Peanut to learn as many languages as possible."

Bones, grasp my hand in his, brushing his lips over my knuckles. "Per voi Bomber, qualsiasi cosa." (For you Bomber, anything.)

The trip back to the house was quiet, except for the sounds of the songbirds singing. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. I had never heard most of their songs before and I was slowly blocking out the sound of the trucks, leaving nothing but the sweet sounds of their shrill songs. The feeling of a hand on my knee brought me out of my musings. Evan's lust filled green eyes pierced mine and made me blush.

"Angel. You want to take a nap before the BBQ?" He asked, his voice husky. I nodded and allowed him to carry me bridal style up to our room. After he set me on my feet, I rushed over and slammed the window shut, gaining a chuckle from Evan as he watched me. "No more sharing with the guys. I get it." I grinned and hopped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Baby. I love you." I nuzzled my nose against his neck, breathing in his unique scent.

"Angel. I love you more." He brushed his lips across the shell of my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Will you hold me?" I asked, desperate for the connection. I knew the skin to skin contact would satisfy the craving my body needed. "I need to be held." He smiled gently and wrapped his arms around me.

"Strip down and I'll hold you forever." We settled into the bed, face to face, eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of each others bodies.

Evan's fingertips were ghosting down my spine, making goosebumps on my back, when I finally woke. I yawned and sighed, as I nuzzled into his chest a little further. "Mmm... how long did we sleep?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep.

He held up his left arm and glanced at his watch. "Almost two hours." He kissed the top of my head. "You had another nightmare."

I sighed again and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Angel. It's nothing you can stop. They just happen. I had nightmares about my first for years," He smoothed hy hair with his hand. "The only thing that helped me was talking to someone."

Opening my eyes, I stared at him with a look of disbelief. "Like a shrink?" I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Not likely. Tried it, hated it, not going back."

"Angel. I didn't mean a shrink. Maybe you could talk to someone you feel comfortable with. A friend." He offered, hoping I'd seek some type of help.

"I'll think about it." I stated, not wanting to push the subject any further. Rolling onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. "You ready to go down stairs, the guys are probably itching to head to Rita's."

He chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, Les has checked on us twice in the last hour. I think he's hungry."

I giggled, "He's always hungry!" We rolled out of the bed and dressed, both of us in butt hugging jeans, t-shirts and our boots. We made our way down the stairs to find a group of guys helping Momma in the kitchen.

"Darlin' you feeling better?" She gave me gentle hug. Stroking my hair, she kissed my temple. A chorus of "Aww" made me smile.

"You guys helping or mooching?" I teased, watching both Les and Cal shove cookies into their mouths.

"Bowf." Cal grinned, cookie crumbs falling all over his black clad chest. Brushing the crumbs off, I patted his chest.

"Cal. Next time, chew with your mouth closed." He blushed and swallowed hard.

"Sorry." He rubbed his hand over his short blond hair. "My mom would kill me if she saw my manners today. I promise, I'll behave." My grin, reduced his embarrassment level from blushing and bowing his head, to a smart ass grin and a twinkle in his eyes.

"I called Rita and let her know that the majority of us are going to be there." Momma said as she whisked the tray of cookies out of the reach of the guys. She placed the tray in the pie safe and slapped Junior's hand away. "Junior! Git your hands outta there! You'll spoil your dinner." The guys chuckled and teased Junior about being reprimanded by Momma. She turned to them and raised a thick metal spoon, "You all git outta my kitchen. Or I swear I'll use this on your backsides." The guys all paled and scooted out quickly.

Ranger and Evan were standing watching the guys mill about in the yard, "Guess, it's time to head out." Evan stated. "I can take five in the truck."

Before Ranger could speak, I shouted out "Shotgun!" and made a mad dash for the truck parked in the barn. Evan snickered and shouted after me, "Don't worry Angel. Nobody wants to sit by me except you."

Les, slid his arm over Evan's shoulder and purred, "Oh, I don't know about that, Stud!"

An open palm upside Les's head from both Ranger and Evan made him grunt in protest. "Damn. I was just joking."

I claimed my spot on the front seat next to Evan, while Ranger slid in next to me. Les, Bobby, Cal and Hal squeezed into the back seat. I tried hard not to laugh watching the guys act like sardines. Tank, being the smart man that he was, drove himself in one of the rental SUV's. A formidable caravan of all black SUV's made it's way out of the yard towards the road. A total of eight SUV's, plus Evan's truck turned onto the highway headed for Powderville. As we pulled into town, the few people that were out and about, stopped in their tracks to watch us drive by.

Both Hal and Cal had their noses glued to the windows, taking in all that Powderville had to offer. This was the first opportunity to view the town in daylight, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Cal bumped Hal with his elbow, "Isn't that Bomber's friend Sissy?" I looked to my right, just as we pulled up to Rita's and sure enough, there was Sissy. She leaned against her truck, waiting in comfortable silence. As soon as Evan helped me down, she pulled me aside.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to Rita's for supper? I had to learn about it from the mechanic down at the gas station, who heard it from my cousin Ginny, who heard it from Rita's half sister." I giggled and she gave me a funny look. "What?"

"You sound like people from where I live. We have what he call the Burg Grapevine. Nothing remains a secret for long."

"How come you didn't tell me that there was going to be a Rangeman buffet tonight? I would have worn something a little nicer." She smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle out of the turquoise wool jumper she wore over a starched white button up blouse.

I teased her, "What's the matter Deeter been lacking in certain areas?" She sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. He's been so busy finishing off the diesel engine for our neighbor's tractor, he even forgot about driving me to Billings today." She sighed as she watched my boys file out of the SUV's. "Good God woman! How many of them do you need?"

I whipped around to take an informal head count. "I guess there's thirty, thirty five here, including Evan's family." She looked as if she was going to die of dehydration, due to the fact she was drooling so heavily. I waved my hand in front of her face, trying to regain her attention. I called Les over for some help. "Les, can you help me here? I think you guys broke Sissy." He walked over, a grin plastered on his face.

He gently shook Sissy, until she somewhat focused on his face. "Sissy. Are you there? It's me Lester, you know, Les? Hello?" He shrugged and put his hands up in a 'I tried' gesture. Ranger noticed our predicament and came to my rescue, as usual.

"SISSY!" He barked right next to her ear. She jumped and snapped out of her quasi coma and gave us a sheepish grin.

"Sorry. So many muscles, so little time." She lamented. I giggled, hooked my arm in hers and led us into Rita's. As usual, Rita's was hopping. Our group occupied more than half of the building and as we sat down, Rita began to bring out baskets of fries and cheeseburgers. The cook, Rita's brother had been hard at work preparing for our arrival. Rita tapped Tank on the shoulder and asked for his assistance. He nodded and followed her out back. A few minutes later, Tank wheeled in a ice cold keg on a hand truck, with Rita carrying trays of frozen beer mugs.

"If ya' want a beer, come and get it. I'll be right back with more food." The guys cheered and everyone seemed to be having a good time when Evan slid next to me in our booth. He handed me a soda and I kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Baby. I thought I was going to have to get my own for a second there." He smiled and kissed the side of my head. Sissy was still star struck, well she was Rangeman struck. She kept gazing from man to man, lost in her own thoughts. I tapped her on the forehead, finally gaining her attention. "Earth to Sissy?"

"Huh? Sorry." She smiled apologetically. "It's hard to concentrate with all these muscles around."

Ranger, Les and Cal looked at each other and grinned. Hal just blushed, and tried not to look at Sissy. "Sissy? How's the cake coming along?"

"Oh, uh. Good. I finished decorating the bottom two tiers, now I just have the remaining three tiers to do. Plus, I have your special request done. It's perfect." I grinned and ignored the look of confusion on Evan's face.

"Good, I want it to be a surprise." I stated the last part as I stared into Evan's eyes. He smiled and leaned his head against mine.

"Angel. Want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's a surprise. You're just going to have to wait." A quick peck on the cheek, made him back off and turn the subject to something else.

The guys all seemed to enjoy themselves, relaxing, joking and chatting up the locals. Thirty minutes later, Freddie popped in. He seemed surprised by the sheer number Rangemen that occupied Rita's, but didn't let it intimidate him. "Mack! Steph! You're home! Rita called to say you were in town." He shook Evan's hand vigorously, as well as planted a light kiss to my cheek as he hugged me.

"Hi, Freddy. Good to see you. Yeah, we decided to treat the guys to Rita's tonight." I smiled and patted his hand.

"Good choice." He grinned, then looked around at the guys. "Brought re-enforcements I see."

Evan frowned and nodded. "Been having problems. Apparently someone doesn't want the wedding to happen." The look of anger and frustration on Freddy's face was sobering.

"Who in their right mind wouldn't want you two to get married?" He stopped short and whipped his head around to me. "Do you think this has anything to do with a certain someone who got their ass kicked last time you were here?" His eyes searched mine, waiting for an answer. When I didn't reply quickly enough for him, he narrowed his eyes and his voice lowered almost an octave. "Son of a bitch! She's involved, isn't she?" I nodded and looked to Evan for help.

'Freddy, we're working on it. We need for you to stay quiet about this." Evan placed a hand on Freddy's shoulder to emphasize his point. "Her life may depend on it."

He grinned and as I was sitting in a chair, he bent down to my level. "Steph. I promise, I won't tell a soul." He kissed my cheek again and turned to Pop and Momma chatting them up. Evan watched over them while I rose and made my way over to Ranger and the core team. I slid into Les's lap and laid my head back on his shoulder.

"Hi, guys." I said, my voice tired and quiet.

"Beautiful, are tired?" I nodded and Les wrapped his hands around me, hugging me close. "You want to go lie down in the truck for a while? I can stand guard." I shook my head and yawned.

"No, I was hoping I could catch a ride back with the guys who have the next guard shift."

"Babe. We'll take you back. Ram and his family can stay and socialize." I nodded and allowed Ranger to make arrangements for me to ride back with him and the guys due up for shift. Evan wandered over to me and dropped a kiss on the top of my head.

"Ranger's going to take you back to the house so you can sleep, Angel." I pulled his face level with mine and kissed him deeply. Only the catcalls and whistles from the guys made me release him. Evan's eyes were dark and full of desire, he whispered into my ear, "I'll get you back for that." He laughed and tapped his finger on the tip of my nose. "Love you Angel."

"Love you too Baby. I'll see you back at the house." I rose and Ranger placed his hand on the small of my back leading me out of Rita's with a large group of men surrounding us. We loaded up into two SUV's and even though it was a tight fit, we managed to make it work. Chase had climbed over the rear seat into the cargo area and made himself comfortable sitting on the supplies and weapons.

"Chase, you okay back there? I can trade places with you if it's not?" I offered and Chase shook his head violently.

"I wouldn't think of such a thing, Bomber. You stay up there where you and the baby are safe." I smiled and thanked him.

Halfway back to the ranch, I watched Ranger stiffen and whip out his phone. He dialed a number and barked into the phone, "Got a tail. Open the south gate." Our driver hit the gas pedal and we took off, with out second SUV close behind. I turned around to look at who was behind us, when the force of being thrown against a wall of muscle made me try to hold on for dear life. Ranger draped his arm over my shoulder and whispered into my ear. "Stay down, Babe." I hunkered down as far as the seat would allow me as we sped off into the night.

By the time we hit the south gate, it was open and waiting for us. Our two SUV's raced through at top speed, the SUV's began to sway a little as the drivers manouvered on the gravel road. Two men stationed at the South gate slammed it shut and locked it, while another two stood guard with their weapons drawn. After a few minutes, Ranger patted me on the arm and I resumed my seat. "Who was it?" I asked, my voice a little shaky.

"Don't know, Babe. But, I have my suspicions." We pulled to a sliding stop and I was surrounded by a wall of black as Ranger led me into the house. "Babe. Stay here." He ordered, as he and two men cleared the house.

"Ranger! No one is going to be in here, the whole ranch is being monitored and guarded." I said exasperated.

"Babe." He answered with a eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'm just saying. I know you all sneak into places guarded a lot heavier than this, but come on! Who in their right mind would try to break into here with Rangeman on the job?" He smiled and shook his head.

"Babe. I'll take that as a compliment." He stalked over to the front door where two men were stationed and barked to one, "Run a Montana plate. X-ray, Charlie, Echo, 1, 3, 9."

"Got it Boss. X-ray, Charlie, Echo, 1, 3, 9." He dashed off to the Comm tent. I imagined that a streak of fire followed him, attesting to the speed for which his feet carried him.

Ranger turned back to me and asked, "Babe. Did you get a look at the sedan that followed us?" I shook my head no, and pouted.

"You told me to stay down. I didn't even get a glimpse."

"It was a black sedan, newer Ford, damage to the front end, no windshield." I gasped and looked at Ranger with my mouth hanging wide open.

"It's gotta be the same guy." I stated, a little stunned. "What a psycho! Does he know who he's dealing with?" I began to rant and rave, my hands making wild gestures into the air as I shouted. "This has to be the dumbest asshole in the entire world! Does he think he can pull a fast one on Rangeman? He's got another thing coming if he does! Dumb Shit didn't even take the plate off the car this time!" Ranger just stood there and allowed me to get it out of my system. Slowly the adrenaline faded leaving me tired and shaky. He scooped me into his arms and carried me to my bed upstairs.

After I had fallen asleep and was Princess Stephanie of Denial land, the remainder of our group returned. Ranger had called them as soon as he laid me down and apprised them of the situation. Evan was pissed and threw the core team into his truck and gunned for home. He pulled up first with a slightly pale core group stumbling out of the truck after him. He stalked into the house to find Ranger.

Lester leaned against Tank for support as he tried to make the world stop spinning so fast. "Damn! I never knew Ram could drive like that."

"You haven't seen anything yet. Ranger told me Ram drove like a maniac when you and Babygirl got shot at the first time." Tank rolled his eyes and patted Les on his back. "Come on, suck it up." Les frowned and released Tank from his position as a leaning post.

When I woke up two hours later, Bobby and Evan were sitting on the couch across the room watching TV quietly. I stretched and moaned, enjoying the feeling of my muscles coming awake. "Mmm... you guys been here long?" I asked looking at them through sleep filled eyes.

"Angel. We've been here two hours. Ranger called us right after you fell asleep. We made it back from town as fast as we could."

Bobby snickered and slugged Evan in the arm. "You mean as fast as your truck could. I think there's a lot of torn up pavement between here and Rita's." My eyebrows raised all on their own accord. "Ram shouted 'Situation Beta' to the guys and before Rita knew what hit her she had a thousand dollars shoved at her and we cleared out of the place in less than a minute."

"What's situation beta? I asked, my head tilted to one side and eyes narrowed. Bobby snickered behind a fisted hand while Evan sighed.

"Angel. It's what we call any situation where you're at risk."

My eyes were as big as saucers and I'm pretty sure my eyebrows were touching my hairline. "Really?"

"From the first day Ranger and the guys saved you." Bobby replied. "Since you were 'sorta' with the Bossman, and he's considered alpha, we considered you beta. So to save time, we just designated any situation when you were in trouble, 'Situation Beta'." He patted Evan's shoulder and continued. "Evan after you started your relationship with Ram, we kept you at Beta. It made the most sense."

"That's cool." I said quietly, messing with an imaginary piece of lint on the coverlet. "Did Bear come by yet?"

"Yeah, he left over an hour ago. Says he hasn't had this much action since the investigation into who burned down the gas station ten years ago." Evan chuckled and then sobered quickly. "Angel, he doesn't think we should continue with the wedding." At his words I jumped out of the bed and ran over to him, hands on my hips and eyes flashing anger.

"Don't you dare! I am NOT giving up my wedding. I am not giving up on the only chance for your mother to marry you off. And I certainly will not give up your family and friends seeing you married to the woman you love." My hands were flying all over the place as I yelled. Bobby turned to his side and pulled out his stethoscope and BP cuff. I threw my hands up in the air one last time and growled, "Ung!"

I flopped down onto the couch next to Bobby, who immediately began to take my BP. After he finished he sighed and rested his hand on my knee. "Bomber, you really need to calm down. Your BP is creeping up again. Don't make me throw your ass in the hospital." My eyes swept his face for BS, but knew deep down Bobby would never tease me about Peanut's safety.

"Yes, Bobby." I answered, my voice quiet. "I'll be good."

Bobby turned to Evan as he placed his medical equipment back into his medic bag. "You may want to get her out and around Comfort for a while. Spending time with him seems the best way to calm her."

"Done." Evan replied as he placed his hand on my shoulder. Bobby left to give us our privacy, Evan shut the door behind him. "Angel. We have to meet Father Timothy tomorrow morning at 1100, and Sheriff West is going to meet us here at 1300. But the rest of the day is ours, Angel. I'd really like to take you on another ride with Comfort."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close. "Oh, Baby! I'd love it." He turned his face to rest his forehead on mine. "You're so good to me."

"I don't know how to do anything but love you." He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "Want to snuggle in bed with me?"

I giggled and tugged at his shirt, "Of course. Now take your shirt off." It was quickly removed and tossed across the room. Giggles and moans filled the night air, as Evan and I fell into bed for the night.

A/N: We're getting closer to the BIG day, and things will heat up. Hope you're enjoying the story thus far. I'm sorry it's taking longer than I planned to update. Between working six days a week and fighting off the flu, I've been a little preoccupied. But after taking more than my fair share of naps today, I managed to finish this chapter. Please read and review. I love reviews, they make my day. And lately any review will make things around here a little better. Being sick sucks! Anyway, I hope to hear your thoughts on the current situation.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from JE's works or characters. **

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I've had a lot going on family-wise and things have been pretty hectic. I finally got over that dang flu! Now I'm just fighting off the incessant coughing and dry throat... ick! Hopefully I can post another chapter or two in the next week. Thanks for being so patient. Don't forget to review at the end of the chapter. Thanks!**

**Chapter 19:**

Early Tuesday morning was a blur. Our morning run was the same as it had been the day before, breakfast was quick and delicious as always and the guys all vied for a seat next to me. I called Sissy at 1030 to verify that the cake was to be finished today.

"Sissy, please tell me that the cake is almost done." I pleaded, a little nervousness in my voice.

"Steph. Believe me, it's almost done. I just have one more tier left to do. I received the cake topper last night, and it's perfect. I think you better come and check it out later."

"Well, we can stop by real quick after our meeting with Father Timothy later this morning."

"Perfect. Just let yourself in. I'll be in the workroom."

"Okay, I'll see you right after we're done. Be sure to hide the surprise." I warned as Evan watched me with narrowed eyes.

"Sure thing." I grinned and hung up the phone after saying goodbye.

"Angel, what is the surprise?" Evan asked, curious.

"Can't tell you, or it won't be a surprise." I teased and bumped his side with my shoulder. "You almost ready?"

"Yeah, the guys are loading up right now." He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out into the yard to his truck. As he had mentioned two black SUV's full of armed Rangemen were ready and waiting on us. He helped me into the front seat and I found Hal and Cal waiting for us in the back seat.

"Bomber, you ready?" Hal asked, squeezing my shoulder affectionately.

"Yeah. Let's get this show on the road. I don't want to be late." Evan climbed into his seat and we made our way down the road to the highway.

As we pulled up in front of the old church, I felt nervous, my palms sweaty and clammy. "Relax, Angel. Father Timothy is nice. He's been here forever, he christened all three of us Ramsey boys." I smiled weakly and held his hand as we ascended the stairs surrounded by our Rangeman brothers.

Father Timothy was a small, grey haired man, with a warm smile and quick wit. "Mack! So good to see you. And this must be your bride to be, Stephanie." He held my hands in his, giving me a warm smile. "It is so good to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you Father. Please call me Steph."

His gaze wandered from both Evan and I to our security force. "Back up?"

Evan nodded and replied, "Unfortunately, someone does not want us to get married." The warm smile that had graced the Father's face, fell and a worried look replaced it.

"My son, are you and Steph in any danger?" His eyes reflected the worry that played on his face.

"None more than usual." Evan replied and asked, "May we speak in a more private location?"

The Father nodded and led us into his office. Two men remained on guard at the front steps, two more in the rectory, two stationed outside the office door and Hal and Cal with us in the office. "As a house of God, this church is a safe haven. I can offer you sanctuary while within these walls." I smiled and squeezed Evan hand.

"Thank you Father." Evan returned with a smile.

"So, I take it you still wish to be married?" Father Timothy asked, pulling papers out from his desk with a pen and began to jot down notes.

"Yes, we do." I stated, still feeling a little anxious.

"Have you been married before?" Father asked me.

"Yes, I am divorced and have all my paperwork." I handed him the packet of papers Ranger brought me from Trenton. It contained the marriage certificate from my first marriage, the divorce papers from the court and the papers stating that my divorce was final. He looked them over carefully and smiled.

"I see everything is in order and I don't expect any problems." He slid the packet back to me. "Where will the ceremony take place?"

"On the ranch. The ceremony site is in the big barn, at 1500." Evan corrected himself, "3 PM."

Father Timothy smiled and winked, "Still using your military time, I see." I laughed and nodded.

"Well, I assume you want the full marriage ceremony?"

"Yes, Sir, we do." Evan answered, looking into my eyes.

"Alright. I expect a quick run through Friday night. What time is the rehearsal?"

"Eight o'clock." I answered, making sure to use civilian time.

"If that is all, I shall see you both at eight Friday night."

"Yes, Father." We both shook his hands warmly and left the church, collecting our men as we left.

Loading into the truck, I turned to Evan, "Can we stop by Sissy's real quick? I just need to double check the cake. The topper came in last night, and I have to see it." I asked, bouncing in my seat.

"Angel. Make it quick. We have to get back and eat before Sheriff West comes." I nodded and allowed him to drive us across town to Sissy and Deeter's place. I climbed out of the truck with help from Hal and dragged all but three guys inside with me. I knocked on the workroom door to find Sissy placing the last of the sugar flowers in place.

I stood there, my mouth hanging open in sheer awe. The cake was beautiful! Sugar flowers, drop lacework and intricate designs in the icing made me giddy. "Sissy! It's beautiful!" She grinned and then noticed the men surrounding us. She held up her hand in greeting. The guys all nodded politely and kept an eye out for trouble.

"Oh!" Sissy exclaimed, and ran for a box at the end of the table. She picked it up and thrust it into my hands. " Your cake topper." I grinned and opened it carefully. I gently unwrapped the hand painted glass figures, setting them onto the table. Evan chuckled and both Hal and Cal groaned. There sitting on the table was a Wonder Woman and a Superman, made of glass, painted in the appropriate colors.

"Aren't the darling?" I asked, tracing my finger over the top of the Superman. "I saw them and couldn't help myself."

"Angel. You're nuts." Evan teased and wrapped my into a warm hug. Both Hal and Cal rolled their eyes.

"Well, we better get them wrapped back up." Sissy helped me rewrap them and set them back in the box. She then placed the box on the top shelf of her cake rack, keeping them safe.

"Thanks for showing me. They're perfect!" I said, hugging her. "We better get going. We have a meeting soon with Sheriff West." Evan gave her a quick hug. "Call me when you get a chance tomorrow." She nodded and waved us off, as she finished cleaning up her workroom.

After arriving back at the ranch, Hal, Cal, Evan and I made our way into the kitchen to find Momma baking pies for tomorrow's big family dinner. I snagged a cookie from the pie safe as Evan and Cal began to make sandwiches for lunch. Momma looked us over and asked, "Everything alright with Father Timothy?"

I nodded and slid into a kitchen chair. "Yeah. He'll be here for the rehearsal on Friday." Momma smiled and started to spoon more cherry filling into a pie shell.

"Hal, Dear. Would you help me?" Momma asked as she lifted the top crust over the pie.

"Sure Momma." Momma opened the over door as Hal carried two pies, sliding them onto the top rack. Hal inhaled deeply and grinned.

"I love your pies Momma. Wish I could take you home with me." He said ruefully.

"Dear, I can always send you pies." She offered, with a smile.

"I wish." Hal pouted, "Ranger won't let us have it. It's considered contraband." I rolled my eyes and patted his shoulder.

"Hal, I think I can talk Ranger into letting a few pies in every so often, as long as he gets his own." I giggled. A familiar tingle on the back of my neck signaled Ranger's arrival. "Isn't that right Ranger?" I turned around to find him leaning against the door frame of the kitchen door.

"Babe. As long as Momma sends me my own pie, I can overlook a few extras to the men." I grinned and I think that made Hal's day.

"Thanks Bossman." Hal and Cal high-fived and grinned like fools. Momma just shook her head and smiled.

"If I knew that this was the reaction I would have from my pies, I would have sent them more often." I turned to look at Evan.

"She sent you pies?" He nodded as he bit into his sandwich.

"Yeah, every two weeks she sends me a pie." He swallowed and chugged a large protion of his beer. "I thiought I told you?"

"NO!" I pouted, "I never knew. Guess someone has a hard time sharing." I teased and swiped a bite of his sandwich. Evan frowned and handed me my own sandwich. We settled in and chatted over the remainder of our lunch.

Just before 1300, I finished helping Momma with the lunch dishes and heard an unfamiliar truck pull into the yard. Both Evan and Ranger escorted me to the door to meet our guest. I watched Sheriff West and Deputy Smoltz exit the truck and survey the scene before them. Smoltz walked over to Tank and shook his hand, they walked away towards the Comm tent, while the Sheriff walked over to us waiting on the porch. He shook both Evan and Ranger's hands. "Gentlemen." He turned to me and smiled warmly. "Steph. So good to see you again."

"Sheriff." I motioned to the door. "Please, come inside. I'll get you coffee and some cookies Momma made." He grinned and allowed us to escort him inside the house. After settling down in the parlor with coffee and cookies, we got right down to business. "Sheriff. Any more word about the contract out on me?" I asked, a little nervous. I fumbled with the edging on the couch cushion.

He shook his head slowly. "No. Nothing yet. We've had surveilence on every visit she's had. Nothing jumps out at us." He sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "Although, word on the street is that the suspect is a local."

"We surmised as much." Ranger replied. "I suspect that he is someone nobody would first initially suspect. That is how he is remaining under the radar."

"Sounds about right. I just wish he would slip up and let us catch a clue as to his identity." He stated after taking a swig of his coffee.

"Sheriff. We have increased the number of men we have assigned to security. Is there any possible way you can spare another man or two for Saturday?" Evan asked, hopeful.

Sheriff West sat and thought for a moment, "I suppose I can assign two more deputies, but I have to ask for the county to be reimbursed."

"Not a problem." Ranger replied and gave me an almost smile. "Rangeman can afford it." Sheriff West smiled and nodded.

"Then, I guess that won't be a problem." I sipped my water and listened to the men before me discuss the security plans.

I must have drifted into my own little world, because next thing I knew, Evan was tugging me to my feet. "Angel and I appreciate all that you are doing, Sheriff." He shook West's hand.

"You just make sure you take care of this lovely little lady." His hands enveloped mine and shook them gently. I gave him a shy smile and blushed.

"Sheriff, thank you." He smiled wide as Ranger led him out the door and back to his truck.

"Angel. We lost you there for a while." He grinned and slid his arm over my shoulder, as we watched Sheriff West and Smoltz climb back into their truck.

"Sorry. I was trying to think of a way to keep Grandma occupied without compromising the guys." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Like that's possible." We walked back into the house, stopping at the foot of the staircase. "You want to get changed? I'm going to take you out on a ride." I did a quick little happy dance and sped up the stairs to our room.

I changed into my jeans, a t-shirt, my Rangers sweatshirt and my boots, and made it back downstairs in record time. Evan and Hal were chatting by the front door when I made it to the last step. The look I received from Evan was one I did not expect. Anger, pure and simple. "Angel. Parlor, now!" I glanced at Hal who gave me an apologetic look and hung his head. Shit! What did I do now? I followed Evan into the room and he closed the door forcefully, letting it slam. I jumped a little, not expecting what was happening.

"Evan, did I do something wrong?" I asked, placing my hand on his forearm. He turned away from me and walked to the other side of the room, putting some distance between us.

"I just intercepted additional research for Hal from Trenton. Know anything about it?" His arms were crossed over his chest, eyes on fire. I blanched and knew I was going to get yelled at.

"Maybe? What research did they send?" Okay, so it wasn't the smartest thing to ask at the moment, but I was curious. So sue me.

"Angel. These..." He picked up a small stack of papers sitting on the desktop and waved them at me. "...are what I intercepted. Hector thought it was funny that Hal asked him to send a request for a search without Ranger's knowledge. He and Hal got into it and Hal told him it was at your request. As soon as he heard it was for you, he sent the request. Would have gotten away with it too, had it not been for a little oversight by one of the contract workers. He failed to indicate, HAL ONLY, in the heading. So naturally when Bones saw this in the Comm tent, he gave them to me."

By this time, I was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, chewing what was left of my fingernails. His eyes followed me, his breathing still slow and steady. "Guess I'm in trouble, huh?"

"Angel, you have no idea." He stated, in his flat voice, giving me his blank face.

I whirled around to face him. "Don't you dare give me the blank face! You know how much I hate it." He raised a single eyebrow, relaxing his face slightly, allowing his anger, frustration and fear through.

"Yes, I do. Now, tell me. Why did you request this, after we specifically told you not to involve yourself?"

"I couldn't help it. I felt like something was wrong. I felt bad for her family and I wanted to try and help her. She can't speak for herself anymore, but maybe I can!" I stood face to face with Evan, my hand on my hips, eyes blazing and temper to match. "She died and now I have to help her."

"Angel. You don't have to help her." Evan exclaimed frustrated. "She's not going anywhere. She's in the morgue, until they can finish her autopsy, which will be quite a while. They're bringing in a forensic pathologist from Washington DC to help, the pathologist from Billings is on sabbatical."

"DC? Why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Her father is Senator Heatherton. He's one of the trustees for a scientific research facility in DC. He's pulled some strings and is having one of his top people sent out. She should be here tomorrow morning, 0900." I mentally tried to add that little note to my imaginary daily schedule.

"Angel. I smell something burning." Evan stated, as he walked up to me. He lifted my chin with his finger and looked deeply into my bright blue eyes. "Promise me you'll drop this for now. We can look into this after we get back from the honeymoon. I promise."

"I'm sorry." My head dropped once again, ashamed I had been caught. "I just couldn't let her die in vain." I tried to explain.

"Angel. I know." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his head and face. "Just promise me you'll wait so we can do it together. Please."

"Fine. As long as you promise we won't let this go." I pleaded, placing my hand on his forearm once again.

Evan lowered his lips to mine and captured them in an intense kiss, sending waves of warmth over my body. Breaking apart, we heard a knock on the parlor door. I broke from Evan's arms and opened it to see Ranger, Tank, Les, Bobby, Hal and Cal waiting for us patiently. "Yes?" My body language told them I wasn't all too happy being interupted.

"Babe. We need you and Ram for a Core meeting." Ranger stated, watching my face carefully.

"Fine. We'll be in the Comm tent in 5." I slammed the door closed and turned back to Evan. "Do they know?" I queried, worried that I'd get yelled at by my brothers as well.

"No, Angel. I kept this between Hal, Hector and myself. Nobody else knows."

"Can we keep it that way? I don't think I can handle being yelled at by them too."

Evan wrapped his arms around me and gently placed his chin on the top of my head. "Promise."

We walked out to the Comm tent hand in hand. I was worried why the meeting was called in the first place and now worrying that I would upset my brothers was making me a bit sick to my stomach. I was still rubbing my stomach when we both entered the tent. "You alright Bomber?" Bobby asked, watching my hand.

"Yeah, just a little upset tummy. I'll be fine." I reassured.

Ranger stepped up and gave me quick once over visually. "Babe. We've received word from an informant, that the stalker may have made a mistake." My eyes widened at his admission. "They saw the car passing through town, we're getting a better description of the stalker. We ran his plates and came up with an interesting development. He purchased the plates online from a novelty company in Bozeman three weeks ago. Used a stolen credit card but had the plates delivered two weeks ago to a postal annex in Billings. Unfortunately that was all the company could tell us without a warrant. Hector is hacking their system right, might be a while before we get an answer."

"We can't wait too long. My family and the girls get in tomorrow. What am I going to tell my mother?" I began to pace and chew on my fingernails. "I can hear her now, 'Why me? Mary Wyziski's daughter doesn't have a stalker! Glenda Crinnoli's daughter doesn't have a man trying to stop her wedding!" I hung my head in my hands and sighed. "Please tell me you all have a plan to stop her from freaking out." I begged, my eyes began to tear up.

"Babygirl, we'll try to head off anything before your mother gets wind of it, but you can't keep this whole situation from her. You're going to have to tell them, and I mean all of them, about it as soon as they get here. They need to know how dire of a situation this is."

"I know, Big Guy." I shot Tank a half hearted smile. "But good luck heading her off. She's a pitbull in woman's clothing." I warned. "So, anything else up for discussion?" I asked, eying the men surrounding me.

"No problems we haven't dealt with already." Tank informed.

"The forensic pathologist will be arriving in Billings tomorrow morning at 0700, Deputy Smoltz will be bringing her here, ETA 0900. The Rangeman jet will be arriving at 1200 with the group from Trenton. It is important that they are brought back here to the ranch ASAP for a briefing." Ranger looked to me before he continued. "No shopping trips, no stopping off for a snack, no quick jaunts for coffee."

I crossed my arms and pouted. If I wanted to stop for a quick snack I was going to do it, damn it! "Whatever!" I stuck my tongue out at him and he smirked.

"Babe. For your safety and Peanut's safety. No unauthorized side trips. Period."

Evan stepped up behind me and wrapped his massive arms around my middle resting his hands on my belly. "Angel. Please." He whispered into my ear softly. I nodded and rolled my eyes. Suddenly I felt as if I was being lifted and found myself sitting on the table facing him. "Promise me." I looked into his gorgeous green eyes and couldn't find a way to say no.

"I promise." I replied in almost a whisper. Ranger nodded and dismissed everyone from the meeting.

Bobby walked over and slung his arm over my shoulder. "Bomber, I have some peppermint tea if you'd like some. It'll help settle your stomach."

"Thanks Bobby, but I'm fine. I just need some fresh air." He lowered me down to the ground and led me out of the tent with the guys hot on our heels.

"Angel, you still want to take a ride?" Evan asked, as he headed to the horse barn.

The back of my neck tingled, the hair stood up on end and I was still fighting that sick feeling from before. My 'spidey sense' was working overtime. Although it made me nervous, I knew that having Evan and the guys close by would ensure my safety. "Yeah, but can we make it close to home? I've got a feeling we shouldn't go too far." Evan nodded and grinned at the mere mention of the ranch being 'home'.

"You wish is my command." He teased and swatted me on the butt as I raced by him into the barn. Evan and Ranger hung back to talk.

"If she's getting a feeling, we'll remain in sight of the house. They're getting stronger and stronger the further along she gets."

Ranger nodded and tilted his head towards the barn. "She'll let you know if something is off. You better go, Babe's waiting." Evan smiled, his white teeth shined blindingly, and walked into the barn.

Evan walked in to find five of us were already saddling up mounts while we waited for him. I stood off to the side and watched him as he saddled up his horse. "You almost ready?" He asked, a slight smile played upon his perfectly kissable lips.

"Yep. Give me a second and we can head out." I nodded and turned to Chase and Wolf who were seated on their horses already.

"You guys going to hang back a ways, right?" I hoped they would catch my drift, and allow some one on one time between Evan and I.

"Adheezi, we'll be within eye shot, but far enough back." I grinned and patted his horse on it's side, before I scratched it's forelock. It's head dipped slightly to allow better access and soon found myself being surrounded by the other horses seeking their own attention. My giggles drew Evan's focus and he gave me a lopsided grin to rival Lester.

"Does that feel good Sweety?" I rubbed another horse, giving it equal attention. "You like that don't you? You like that?" I was talking in a syrupy sweet voice and now had to employ both hands to scratch two different horses at the same time.

"Wifey, careful, you might have a few of the guys lining up soon." I giggles and noticed that the guys were watching me with a mix of fascination and love. "Why is it that every time you do something so simple, it takes us all by surprise?" He asked, a little in awe of my ability to nurture the horses calming effect.

"Don't know. It's just the way I am." I replied as I swung up into the saddle and rode out of the barn with Evan and my boys behind me.

Our ride lasted over two hours, no real rush to our excursion, just enjoying time outdoors and away from the hustle and bustle of the ranch. The time outside helped me to clear my head and relax, so by the time we made it back to the barn, I was feeling chipper and upbeat. My 'spidey sense' had subsided and now all I felt was a little tired and hungry. In silence, the six of us wiped down the horses and settled them back into their stalls with a good supply of extra grain. We walked into the house to find Momma hard at work finishing the last of the desserts for tomorrow night's big family dinner.

"Darlin', would you mind handing me my hot mitts. I have to take the last two pies out of the oven." I reached over the counter to hand her the hot mitts. Watching her take the perfectly baked pies out and set them on the counter made my mouth water. Finding a few broken pie crusts set off to the side I helped myself and munched happily.

"Are you ready to meet my crazy family?" I asked, between bites. Evan rolled his eyes and made to say something, but I elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a quieting look.

"Sure am, Darlin'. From what I heard from the boys, your Grandma is a real hoot." I grinned and chuckled.

"Hoot doesn't even begin to cover it. We'll try to keep her occupied, but I can't guarantee that she'll be on her best behavior the entire time."

"Evan's grandmother was a little unique herself." She handed me a glass of juice while she leaned against the counter sipping her coffee. "She used to be a real wild one back in her day. As she got older though, she slowed down a bit. Used to love sitting on the front porch and daydream." Momma was lost in her memories, eyes glassed over and a small smile on her lips.

"Wild one? That doesn't even begin to cover it." Evan announced and watched the guy's eyes widen. "You think Edna Mazur is bad... she's nothing compared to what my Granny was."

My eyebrows lifted and I was shocked that Evan came from someone who was more outlandish than my grandma. "Really?"

"She used to take me down to town and let me drive." I looked at him as if nothing was wrong with that until he added, "I was five."

Momma grinned and rolled her eyes. "Evan. That's not bad. She was teaching you how to drive. Remember, you drove the truck during the haying that fall, thanks to your grandma."

"She had a thing for ranchers I guess. She had all the men in the surrounding areas terrified of her. I remember she took that one guy from up north hunting with her, not more than two hours later she comes strolling back to the ranch without him. Complaining that the only reason she took him out there was to get a chance to check out his goods. We never saw him after that." I began to giggle and before long I was doubled over with laughter, holding my side.

"You mean to tell me..." I managed to get out through my laughter, "... that your granny was trying to get a look at the guy's 'goods' and because he didn't let her, she dropped him like a hot potato?" Evan nodded and I burst into a whole new fit of giggles. The guys surrounding us in the kitchen were desperately trying to hold in their smiles, but it wasn't working very well.

"She even had two men fighting over who would get her."

I stopped and looked at him like he was nuts. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

"No! You don't understand... they were fighting over who would take her, as in, 'You take her' 'No! You take her'! It was the sorriest thing I've ever seen." Momma was smiling and watching us with love filled eyes.

"You loved her and that's all that mattered." Momma stated before setting her cup on the counter. "She loved you dearly, Evan. Don't you remember the costume she made for you for Halloween when you were six?"

Evan groaned, closed his eyes and dropped his head onto the kitchen counter with a loud thud. "How could I forget? I was the laughing stock of town for months." I rubbed his back soothingly and gave Momma a quizzical look.

"I haven't shown you the pictures yet Darlin', but Evan made quite the cute tooth fairy. He wore a white leotard, tights, a crown, ballet slippers, gossamer wings and he even had his own fairy wand!" I turned to look at him through wide eyes and nearly fell of the chair laughing.

"You... tooth fairy... funny!" I couldn't put together a full sentence due to the giggles. The guffaws that came from the guys was quickly followed by a death glare from Evan.

"I swear, if I find out any of this made it out of this room, you're all dead. You'll never find a place far enough away to hide. I'll hunt you down and kill you all." He growled, his eyebrows knit together, a menacing look upon his face. "I swear it."

Manny held up his hands in mock defeat. "Dude, your secret is safe with us." The other nodded in agreement and soon regained their blank looks.

Evan turned to me and lifted my face to his, "Angel. I swear I'll cut you off from all desserts for life." I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him in horror.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me." He answered in a calm, cool and collected manner. I could tell by his tone he was dead serious.

"FINE!" I huffed out. "But, I am definately telling Peanut once he or she gets big enough. This is too good to pass up." I sassed back and grinned. He only shook his head and rolled his eyes allowing his head to once again to drop onto the kitchen counter.

"Whatever, as long as it's _years_ in the future." He lamented, "I want to be able to have some kind of authority over him or her before they lose all respect for me."

I rubbed his shoulder and kissed him behind his ear. "It's alright, Baby. I promise. We wouldn't Peanut to think Daddy's a wuss." The chuckles from the men around us made me smile and I thanked god for such loving brothers.

"We better think about what we're going to do to keep grandma busy while she's here." I suggested.

Manny groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Don't get me wrong, Wifey. I love you mom, she's cool with me, but your grandma? She's a menace to society!"

"How bad is she, man?" Chase asked, Wolf eyed me cautiously.

"Think Debbie Reynolds, Betty White and Estelle Getty combined with the guys from JackAss." The look of total horror graced the boy's faces.

"Thanks not good." Wolf stated and looked a little uncomfortable. "So, when Ranger stated for us to meet Grandma Mazur, it was a practical joke on us, right?"

"You got it." Evan stated, trying not burst out laughing. "Normally, Ranger has to add double hazard pay any time we have to deal with her. I mean she's a real sweetheart, but she's got hands to rival anything you've ever seen. I had my ass pinched so many times the first time I met her, I had bruises for a week. But at that time, I was just the guy protecting Angel. Then we went to dinner at her parents house just before I brought Angel here for the first time. Both she and Angel's mom were waiting for us at the front door. If I remember correctly, Grandma said, and I quote, 'Ain't he a pip! Huge muscles and everything'." The guys all laughed, wiping away tears.

"She's one to avoid then?" Slick asked, still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Unless you like having your ass pinched by a 80-something granny." I added, "She's really not _that_ bad. She's just unique."

"Babe." I turned to see Ranger standing in the doorway. "She calls me the 'hot Cuban sex god with the huge package'!" I doubled over laughing and had a difficult time catching my breath.

"Sorry, but the look of terror on your face when she does that is so _priceless_!"

"Well, funny for you, nightmare for me." We were still laughing when a loud thud came from the far side of the table. I turned to look and found that Bones had fallen onto the floor, unable to stand due to his fit of laughter.

All we could decipher between his full blown giggles were the words: huge, package and sex god. I rolled my eyes and watched Ranger sigh almost audibly. "Bones. Mats 0700." He turned to leave and I ran out of the kitchen to follow him.

My arm snaked it's way around his waist as his did the same to mine. We walked past the Comm tent to where the men were living while at the ranch. "Babe. She's going to rip us to pieces, you know that right?"

"Well, all the guys need to learn how to deal with her. Only the ones from Trenton have the upper hand."

"You're going to break my men."

"Ranger, both of us know that if they break, they were never meant to work for Rangeman. Period. Think of her as a kind of pop quiz for the guys. How do you handle a crazy old lady without hurting her?"

"Babe. You're sadistic." His eyebrow quirked and a soft chuckle fell from his lips.

"You taught me." I teased and walked him to the Core bunk house. "I'm going to head back to the house to help out Momma." I turned to leave and then looked over my shoulder at him. He was watching me with nothing but love in his eyes. "We good? I mean, you're not mad about me telling the guys about what grandma says about you?"

"We're good, Babe." I gave him a dazzling smile and skipped my way back across the yard to the house, humming a happy tune.

**A/N: Again, sorry it took so long to update. Thanks to all the great readers who posted reviews and/or sent me PM's... I love you gals! Trying to sneak in a couple of minutes of writing in between the time I get home from work and the time my hubby gets home sucks. He's been hogging the computer a lot lately. As of tomorrow that problem will be solved, if even for only a little while. I'm house sitting, dog sitting, guinea pig sitting, bird sitting, cat sitting and fish sitting for my parents while they attend my brother's graduation from architecture school from the University of Michigan. So I will get their computer all to myself for 3 1/2 weeks! Yay me! So expect another couple of chapters to come soon. Thanks again for reading. ****Please leave reviews!**** It helps me become a better writer to know what the reader is thinking.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Janet's characters, although I'd love the extra income, I do not profit from them. Damn!**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but things have been a little crazy lately. Between the end of the year school projects for the kids, scouts, dance, house sitting for my parents, a ddeath in the family and tending to accident prone dogs, my life has felt like a soap opera. And that's only what has happened in the last 3 1/2 weeks! Crap! I need a vacation. Any way, hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 20:**

The feeling of freedom made my spirit soar, even with the threat of the stalker crowding a large portion of my concentration. My eyes constantly scanned the horizon searching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Evan, Chase, Wolf, Manny and I stayed close enough to the house to see the rest of the men scurrying about like ants, yet far enough away to feel free of the bonds of being constantly under watch.

Using the back of my forearm, I wiped sweat out of my eyes, "Baby?"

"Hmm?" He turned his gorgeous green eyes to mine and smiled.

"You think the stalker is really crazy enough to try something at the wedding?" I asked, trying not to seem to freaked out with the thought of my wedding going up in flames.

"Angel. I hope not. But you know that Ranger and the guys will do everything possible to stop him." His arm spanned the distance between us, his hand rested on my thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

My head fell into my hands and after a groan, I lamented. "Lord help us!" Both Manny and Chase chuckled under their breaths.

"Adhezi, things will work out for the best. You will see." Wolf appeased me, flashing me a dazzling rare smile.

"If you say so." I sighed and suddenly my hand flew to the back of my neck, trying to smooth down the hair that was desperately trying to stand up. "Uh, Baby!" My voice quivered slightly, fear clear as day on my face.

"Angel? What's wrong?" Evan stopped and began to scan the horizon again.

"I think we're being watched. We need to get back to the house, we're too exposed out here." I spurred Comfort on and lead him back towards the barns at a fast clip. The boys following right after me, keeping a close watch on our six. Pulling Comfort to a stop in the horse barn, made the boys come running, with Ranger in the lead.

"Babe?" He was the master of one word conversations.

"I felt like someone was watching us. The hair actually stood up on the back of my neck, it creeps me out." I replied as I dismounted and began to unfasten the buckles on Comfort's saddle. My hands were shaking so badly, Ranger rested his hand on my shoulder, and I stopped trying to unfasten the cinch.

"Tank, take a group of men and scout out the area. Scorch, assume you position, cover the team." Ranger's hands rested on mine. "Babe, leave it. Wolf can take care of Comfort." I sighed and tried not to tear up, but it was really, really hard fighting the pregnancy hormones. "Ram. Take into the house and try to calm her down." The next thing I knew, I was in Evan's arms being carried to the house, surrounded by a large silent contingent of my boys.

Laying me down on the sofa in the parlor, Evan knelt down to look me in the eyes. "Angel. You okay?"

I had turned my face into the back of the sofa and nodded my head. Evan with my voice muffled, Evan could hear me. "Just peachy. Any chance of us relaxing watching a movie?" I rolled over and stared into his face, giving him a pouty lip. "Pweeze?"

Evan's lighthearted chuckle made me feel a little better. "Only if Bobby can give you a quick once over." I rolled my eyes, but nodded my head.

After Bobby had given me a stern talking to about my blood pressure, I was allowed to resume life as normal, which for me was total chaos. I wandered out of the parlor to find somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 boys crammed into the great room, waiting for me to return. "What in the world?" I watched as the boys all stopped fidgeting and talking to look at me.

"Babe. You said you wanted to watch a movie, Santos said he wanted in."

I watched as Les gave me a heart stopping lopsided grin. He pointed to Hal and Cal, "They piped up and wanted in, too!"

Hal rolled his eyes almost as good as I do. "Well, then Tank, Wolf, Chase, Binky, Silvio and a bunch of the other guys wanted in, too. It just kinda morphed from there." I shook my head and grinned.

"So, if I let you all in on _**my**_ movie, do I still get to pick what I want to watch?" I had to emphasize the fact I had been the one who wanted to watch in the first place, when I stated that it was my movie.

"Angel. You can watch anything you want." Evan grinned, knowing I was going to tease them by choosing a really sappy chick-flick before I cave and tell them I really want an action flick. I attempted to pick my way through the boys, but with how tightly packed they had crammed themselves on the floor, it was impossible. Before I could react, I was picked up and hoisted into the air. I felt multiple hands shifting and passing me along towards the over-sized easy-chair in the middle of the room, crowd surfing my way back to the chair where Evan was waiting for me. Settling into the chair, surrounded by my boys, I felt safer than ever and I sighed contently.

"So, Bomber. What's it going to be?" One of the boys from Boston asked, pointing to the huge TV screen.

I scrunched up my face, pretending to think, desperately trying not to die of laughter. "Well... I was thinking about either Princess Bride or Muriel's Wedding." A huge groan erupted from the crowd and I giggled. "What? You all think I love watching war movies constantly? Guess again!"

"Angel." Evan chuckled letting me know that the guys were getting ready to bail on the movie if I didn't 'change' my mind soon.

"Fine! No chick flicks." I watched the boys all grin and breathe a sigh of relief. "I want to watch a superhero movie."

The guy from Boston nodded and read the available titles out loud. "There's Batman, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman & Robin, Batman Beyond, X-Men, X-men 2, X-Men The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men First Class, Spiderman 1, 2, and 3, Superman 1, 2, 3, 4, Superman Returns, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Ironman 1 and 2, Captain America and finally The Green Lantern."

"Holy Shit! How many superhero movies do you need?" Hal exclaimed, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand in disbelief.

"Hey, Pinhead. Those are my movies. You haven't even started in on Junior's or Justin's yet." Evan challenged Hal with a chuckle.

"Shit. You really needed all these?" Cal asked a little over whelmed.

"What? When it's twenty below and I can't make it into Bozeman to go to the theater, it's the next best thing." Evan turned slightly to me and asked, "So, Angel. What's it going to be?"

"I know you all expect me to pick either a Superman or Batman movie, huh?" The boys nodded and I giggled. "Too bad. Green Lantern! I love Ryan Reynolds! Besides... I get to see him run around in his tidy-whitys!" My giggles were met with a couple of groans and a 'sheesh!'. I stuck out my tongue and shouted "Green Lantern! Or I'll pick a chick flick." Before I could raise my eyebrow at the boys, the DVD was in the player.

114 minutes later, I was giddy and ready for another movie when Ranger popped off with, "Tank, maybe we should start calling you Kilowog. Damn, you two could pass for twins." My mouth fell open and I began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Funny, Rangeman. Real, funny. Maybe I should start calling you a Poozer." Of course Ranger's reaction was one of silence and a raised eyebrow. Woody's chuckle escaped before he could stop it and Ranger's head whipped around to look him in the eyes.

"Barn 0500 Woody." Woody looked as if he had just crapped his pants and I began to laugh harder. I was slapping the arm of the chair and gasping for breath by the time Ranger's gaze fell upon me. "Babe." He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What?" I managed to squeak out between the laughter. "I think it's funny." I tried to deepen my voice as low as it could go, "Poozer." The room erupted in laughter and Ranger rolled his eyes and sat in his chair trying to ignore the joke. "Aww... it's okay Batman. I still think you could kick Green Lantern's ass."

The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, knowing he was in a better mood I went in for the kill. "But I still think Superman would kick you ass in a heartbeat."

He feigned heartbreak by placing his hand over his heart. "Babe. You wound me."

"Wuss." I grinned and threw a pillow at him.

Momma chose that moment to walk into the great room and holler over the chatter. "Excuse me. But Evan has a phone call." She handed the cordless handset to Scorch, who handed it off to other men as it made it's way to him. "I'll be in the kitchen. Supper's in about an hour." I nodded and plucked the receiver out of Hal's hand, giving it to Evan.

"Hello?" Evan answered a with a voice of authority In an instant, his body went rigid and I watched his whole demeanor change. I had only one thought, it had to do with his Government contract. "General, Sir." The guys around me went dead silent and turned to listen to Evan's responses. "Opt out early?" My jaw dropped. OMG! "How Sir?" We all sat in silence waiting to hear Evans side of the conversation.

"Yes, Sir, it's this Saturday. As long as things go as planned." He replied as I tried not to get nervous. "How can I opt out early?"

His pause made me hold my breath, "Am I to assume that I will be leaving after my wedding?" Evan asked, a worried look on his face.

Yes, Sir. I understand, November 1st, 0600." Evan quickly ended the phone call, the guys scrambled out of his way as he stomped out of the room and out the front door. I sat in the chair speechless, staring openly at the door Evan had just walked through.

"Beautiful?" I turned my head to see Les and the boys staring at me, pained expressions on their faces. Rushing out of the chair and into Les's arms, tears streamed down my face. I buried my face into his shoulder and tried to pray for the best.

"Shh... Beautiful. It'll be okay." The tingle on the back of my neck, told me that I was being passed off to Ranger.

"Babe. Let's not jump to conclusions. It could be as simple as a month long assignment at Camp Lejuene running the Sniper school as a guest instructor. We don't know Babe. Keep the faith." My head nodded in agreement, although I felt as if something was going to go horribly wrong.

The room remained silent for the next twenty minutes until Evan walked back in. The grim look on his face seemed to mirror my own, and it did nothing to put my fears to rest. "Angel. I think we need to talk." I sighed and dragged myself out of Rangers lap.

Gripping my hand in his, we made our way out of the house and to his truck. He lifted me into the backseat and slid in next to me, his face blank. Biting my bottom lip, I sat in silence, staring at my clasped hands laying in my lap. "Angel. I have two options. I can either do one mission out of the country for three to four months, or I can do two in country missions and they would only last a few weeks each." He sighed and held my hands in his. "Angel. I won't lie to you, both have some degree of risk. But I wanted to talk it through it with you first."

"Baby. What are you thinking?" I asked, my gaze still locked on our joined hands.

"Angel. Honestly, I think that the mission out of country is our best option. I don't want to be away from you, but at least the out of country is just one mission." The tingle on the back of my neck was somewhat concerning. "But if I chose the in country option, it would be almost two months total. But they would be substantially less in risk." I shook my head violently as I felt the sharp pain from the intense tingle I felt on the back of my neck when he mentioned less risk.

"Don't do the in country. I have a really bad feeling about it. Please!" I gripped his shoulders and stared into his eyes, pleading. "Please, tell me you won't take that option. Promise me." The look of concern and another emotion I wasn't too sure about flashed across his eyes before his blank face slammed down. "My spidey sense is telling me that the in country would be bad, really, really bad. The tingle hurt. That's the first time it's ever been that bad. Please tell me you'll listen to me."

"Angel. I promise. I guess, I'll have to call the General in the morning with our decision." I leaned forward and placed my forehead onto his well muscled chest. He pulled me into his lap and hugged me close. "I love you Angel. I promise, I'll come back to you." Upon hearing his words, I sobbed into his chest, my heart ached already.

Knowing that Evan would be deployed on a dangerous mission for months during my pregnancy, made my stomach churn. I scrambled out of the truck and around the door to the barn moments before I lost everything I still had in my stomach. Holding onto the door for balance, the first wave of black spots swam across my vision. "Evan..." The last thing I remembered was falling to the ground as the blackness took over.

The feeling of being watched forced me to open my eyes and I groaned to find eight sets of eyes focused on me. "What?" I asked, as I attempted to sit up on the sofa.

"Bomber, you gotta stop scaring us like that." Bobby helped me sit up slowly and handed me a glass of orange juice. "Sip this slowly. It'll bring your sugars back up."

"Angel. You passed out again. You scared the shit out of us again." Evan rubbed his massive hands over his face in frustration.

"Sorry." I gripped my glass of juice like it was a lifeline. "I didn't mean to." I pouted, trying not to make the situation any worse.

At that moment, Momma came to my rescue. "Well, back off you pack of Jackals! My Darlin' needs some air." She waved her hands at the boys, forcing them to back away from me. "Darlin' you don't need to apologize to these neanderthals. Let's get you into the kitchen, supper is ready." She helped me to my feet and walked me to my seat at the table. She dished up my plate and set it in front of me as the guys all waited to fill their own. As the filled theirs they assumed their seats and waited patiently for the others to finish.

As the table finally filled to capacity, we bowed our heads for grace. Pop made it short and sweet, and we all dug in. "Darlin' Evan told me he's going to work on his project tomorrow morning after Bear gets here with the bone lady. You have any plans for what you want to do while he's busy?"

I set my fork down and thought for a minute before I answered. "I have no idea. I guess I could help you prep for supper."

She grinned and nodded. "I'd appreciate the help. Carlos, Dear. Do you think you could spare me a couple of your boys to help us womenfolk?"

Ranger nodded, "I think Cal, Hal and Becker. They've all had experience in the mess kitchens or worked in a restaurant in their previous lives."

"Aww, Boss. I'd be honored to work with these fine ladies." Cal grinned and winked at Momma.

"I'd love to have you Calvin. Halton are you up for it?" Momma asked, as she buttered a roll.

"Yes, Ma'am." Hal smiled and stabbed another slab of ham with gusto.

"Backer? Is he from the Trenton office?" Momma asked before she bit into her roll.

"No Ma'am. He's from Atlanta. He worked the kitchens in the Corp. He can make something edible out of limited available supplies." Tank answered with a light heart.

"Sounds like my kind of boy, Pierre."

"Yes, Ma'am." Tank nodded and forked another chunk of potato into his mouth.

"So, is anyone going to help me think of a way to tell my parents about the whole stalker situation?" For a group of bad ass mercenaries, they seemed awfully scared at the mention on my parents. "What no one will help me?" I asked, offended.

"Beautiful, don't take this the wrong way, but your mother is a drama queen, you father is intimidating, and you grandmother is just down right scary."

"Chickens! You're all just a bunch of Chicken Shits! Pansies! Wusses!" I glanced at Momma and apologized, "Sorry Momma for my language. But your all just a bunch of Pussies!" I jumped up out of my seat and barreled out of the kitchen, up the stairs, into the bedroom and locked the door. I slid the desk in front of the door and then slid the bed in front of the desk, finally falling onto the bed.

I lay there trying to think of horrible, evil ways of exacting revenge on the group of scared men sitting at the kitchen table. A few minutes later a knock on the door pulled me out of my musings. "What!" I shouted, still extremely pissed.

"Babe. Open the door."

"No."

"No?"

"Nope. No Pussies allowed." I shouted and threw Evan's pillow at the door. "Fuck off. I need time to cool down and I can't do it if I keep having Assholes bugging me."

"Babe. Please." Usually I caved in an instant when he used please on me, but I wasn't going to cave this time. Nope, Nada, no. Shit! I soon found myself moving the furniture out of the way of the door. Shit, shit, shit! I said to myself. I unlocked the door and opened it a crack.

"What?" I tried to keep my voice as icy as possible.

"We're sorry, Babe." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We really don't like dealing with family issues."

"Too bad. I really thought we were family. Maybe I was wrong." I made to close the door on him, but he slid his hand into the doorway.

"Babe. You are my family. We're all your family. You know we are. But we've never really had experience dealing with situations like this all that often."

"You usually left that job to me." He nodded silently. "For once, I'd like to have backup when I tell them. You all are getting on me about keeping my blood pressure down, and now that I ask for a little help with that you all try to bail on me. Well, Fuck you all. I'm tired, Carlos. For once... for once, I would love to have a special event in my life to go as planned. And even now, my wedding won't go as planned, I already know it. How sad is that? I'll probably be in the hospital when Evan and I are supposed to be married. How will you feel then? Huh? I can't tell them by myself. I just can't." I sunk down to my knees on the floor, my head leaned against the door frame, tears streaking down my face.

"Babe. We'll be there for you. Both of you."

"Angel?" Evan stood at the door, I watched his boots and legs through watery eyes. "May I come in?"

"No. I need to be alone. Give me an hour and then come in." I pleaded.

"Alright. One hour, then we're coming in."

"Deal." I shut the door and collapsed on the bed in my thinking position. What was I going to say to my father? Shit! What was I going to tell my mother? I groaned and covered my eyes with one of my arms. I was never going to get pineapple upside down cake ever again. NEVER EVER AGAIN! Shit! I am sooo dead.

**A/N:** **So I know the listing of the superhero movies was extensive, but it's really like that at my house. What? I like superheros. Besides, my son loves the movies, too. I will try to have another chapter posted by the end of this weekend. Cross your fingers! Please read and review, they are the peanut butter to my jelly, the Yin to my yang, the red to my neck! Ha that was funny. Sorry, I wandered off there for a second. Please leave your reviews, I miss them and they honestly make my day. Thanks all. -Tiff**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters. Damn!**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this latest chapter, but R/L has been so unkind and challenging lately. I hashed this out in one night, sorry it's so short. I promise that the next one will be much longer.**

**Chapter 21:**

The haunting glow of twilight filtered into the room as I opened my eyes. Blinking back sleep from my eyes, I noticed I was not alone. Sitting on the couch, eyes closed, heads back were both Les and Ranger, Junior was passed out on the recliner and Evan was laying along my right side on the bed. I carefully rose out of bed, and tip toed my way into the bathroom. After tending to the pressing need of relieving my bladder, I exited the bathroom to find all the guys still asleep. Clearing my throat, they all woke with a start.

"Babe?"

"Angel?" The look of concern on Evan's face was precious. "Are you alright?"

I sighed and leaned against the door frame for the bathroom. "Yeah. I'm okay." Dropping my gaze to my feet, I realized I was going to have to apologize for my earlier behavior. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch earlier. I just..." I sighed again and sniffed back tears that threatened to fall. "I just hate to have to face my mother alone again. I've done it for so long now, it just makes me sick to my stomach." I pushed off of the door frame and walked over to the bed plopping down. I drew my legs up and wrapped my arms around my knees.

"Angel. You won't be alone. The guys and I will be there for you. We're sorry if we made it seem like we were chickening out at supper." He ran his hands through his short blonde hair, frustrated. "I know that your mom never really has taken any of your previous situations gracefully, but at least this time, we'll be there to back you up."

"I know... I just... I just wish for once she would stop spouting off all 'the burg' crap." I contorted my face into a sneer and raised my voice to match my mothers. "Why does this always happen to me? Mary Franko's daughter doesn't have someone trying to kill her. Jean Warliski's daughter doesn't have an army of men having to protect her. Why me?"

Les snickered, "Beautiful, that's a pretty good impression." I stuck my tongue out at him and sighed, as Junior threw a pillow at his head.

"Santos!" Ranger barked in admonishment.

"What? She was dead on." Les chuckled, "Beautiful, I think you're over-thinking the situation. She knows how much you love Ram, she knows how much he loves you and she knows we would never put you into a dangerous position on purpose. Try and give her some credit."

"Angel. If it makes you feel any better we, can talk to your father first." Evan offered, rubbing my back with his warm hand.

"I think that would be a better choice. At least he can pull my mother aside and talk to her if she gets out of hand." I agreed, dropping my forehead onto my knees gently, my eyes closed.

"Shorty, we'll take care of you. I promise." Junior stated, giving me a wide grin when my now open eyes focused onto his face.

"I guess." I flopped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. "What time is it?"

"Almost 2100. You've been asleep for almost two hours."

"Two hours?" I couldn't believe that I had slept for so long. "What about the guys? Did they finish watching their movies?"

"Naw, they decided to hit the hay early. They were warned about your grandmother, and most of the men decided that dealing with her on a full nights sleep was probably best." Les chuckled, as he stretched his arms wide. "I think they've got the right idea. I'm gonna hit the hay. I guess I'm bunking in with you tonight Junior."

"Great." Junior muttered. "Just stay in your own bed. If I even think you're going to try to climb into bed with me, I'm shooting your ass." The laughter that chased Les out of the room was deafening.

"Babe. Get a good nights rest. We leave here right after the pathologist and Smoltz arrive." Ranger rose to his feet and made his way over to me. Leaning down he placed a soft kiss to my forehead. Nodding to Evan, Ranger walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Junior nodded, "G'night Shorty, Evan." I gave him a finger wave and settled my back onto Evan's chest.

"Baby, are you sure things will go okay with my mother?" I asked, still unsure.

"Angel. Things never go as planned, but we can and will adapt." Evan kissed the top of my head. "Come on, get changed and I'll cuddle with you all night."

A sly grin crossed my face. "All night, huh?"

"All night. And then some." His warm breath caressed the back of my neck, his fingertips brushed my hair aside. Moist, hot lips pressed heated kisses along the exposed skin, causing shivers to run down my spine.

"Baby..." I groaned, a warm feeling pooling in my nether regions. "Please... it's been so long. I need to feel you, touch you." I begged in quiet whispers.

He rose from the bed to lock the door, I whimpered at the loss of his body heat. "Angel, I've missed us." Evan whispered into my ear as he sank into the bed.

"Baby, make love to me." I pleaded, locking my eyes with his darkened green eyes.

Evan's head dipped, his lips capturing mine in a searing kiss. Drawing my lower lip between his teeth, I hissed at the mixture of pleasure and pain. A throaty groan escaped my mouth and he growled deep in his chest. "Angel..."

I dropped my head back as soon as his teeth released my lip, granting him access to the exposed skin of my neck. Gentle grazing from his teeth and lips on the juncture of my neck and shoulder had me shivering in anticipation. With open mouth kisses, his lips soon found the soft skin of my upper chest. Evan's fingers began to work the buttons of my shirt and it soon made it's way onto the floor, where his shirt soon followed. Our chests were pressed together so tightly, I doubt a slip of paper could have come between us. Our tongues dueled, matching each other in ferocity and strength. Gently running my nails over his bare back sent him into a frenzy. The remainder of our clothing were strewn around the room, our hands roaming and teasing as we kissed.

"Angel... God, I love you." He whispered, as I dragged my nails over his tight ass. "Let me make you mine all over again."

"Yes. Oh,God, yes!" I murmured against his lips.

He traced the length of my neck with his tongue, before dropping his lips to my breasts. His tongue circled first one nipple, drawing it into a tight rosy bud, before switching to the other. I sighed and closed my eyes savoring the touch and feel of him on my skin. His finger found my slit wet and waiting for him, he parted my lower lips and drew his finger first up and then down. A strangled gasp escaped my throat. God, it felt so good! Before I could muster another thought, he slid first one and then two fingers into me. My hips bucked off of the bed slightly before he used his second hand to hold my body down. Between his oral focus on my breasts and his hands-on focus on my lower regions, I was close to cumming. "Evan..." I whispered, desperate to fall over the edge that I was so near.

At the mention of his name, Evan thrust a third finger into me, the first orgasm came crashing over me with it's glorious waves of pleasure. I screamed out his name, my hands fisted into his hair. He slowly allowed me to come down, kissing me gently. I could taste myself on his lips and it made me want him even more that I thought was possible. I made to scoot myself down to return the favor, but was stopped when his hand circled around my wrist. "No, Angel. Tonight, this is all about you." I nodded, still basking in the afterglow of the first orgasm.

He situated me in the middle of the bed, but scooted me closer to the edge. He knelt down at the very edge of the bed and slowly worked my thighs open, displaying myself to him. The moment his tongue touched my clit, I thought I was going to die. It felt heavenly, and as he nibbled, nipped, licked and sucked, I was steadily approaching another orgasm. The fire burning in my stomach was an inferno, threatening to overtake me if I didn't cum soon. When he thrust two fingers into me, Evan's name tumbled from my lips in a hoarse scream. The rhythmic contractions around his fingers, pleased him to no end. A massive orgasm rocked me to the core, tears formed in my eyes, my mind blown away.

Evan crawled up my body, to look directly into my eyes. "Angel, open your eyes. I want you to look at me when I'm in you. I want to watch you when our souls are one."

I slowly opened my eyes to stare into the dark depths of his, as his massive shaft entered me. He hissed at the delicious feeling of being completely sheithed in my hot wet center. "Angel." I grinned and wriggled slightly, garnering a choked chuckle from him. "Keep that up and I'll have to take this extremely slow." I shook my head, unable to speak due to the heavenly feeling of being filled by him. He waited for a moment to allow me to stretch to fit his swollen member. I sighed as a tear rolled down my cheek. He stilled, "Angel? Am I hurting you?"

"No. I'm just so happy." I whispered with difficulty. "Make me yours all over again... please."

He slowly pulled back, only allowing his head to remain inside me. The feeling of him retreating made me whimper in protest. Until he pushed back into me, filling once again. His hips maintained a slow and steady rhythm, his control much more in effect than mine. I could feel an intense burning starting in my belly and radiating outward. I wrapped my arms around his neck, angled my hips slightly up to allow for better penetration, and bucked my hips, begging him to speed his tempo. His response was a low chuckle and a breathy whisper, "Angel... as you wish."

He reared back and slammed into me full force, I gasped and clung to him even tighter. It seemed that every thrust was harder, deeper, faster and more delicious than the last. Soon, the sound of slapping skin and heavy breathing was intermixed with grunts and whimpers of passion. Our foreheads touched, eyelids slitted, but eyes still locked together. I could feel myself tightening around him, drawing him deeper, when in a last ditch effort Evan thrust as hard as I have ever experienced and I flew into a doomsday orgasm. My walls clenched around him tightly, and I faintly heard him shout my name as he spilled his seed into me. My muscles milked him dry as he thrust a half dozen more times, prolonging his orgasm. He collapsed onto me, his weight felt comforting rather than crushing. My consciousness ebbed away quickly leaving me to float in a comforting pool of passion, pleasure and pure bliss.

I awoke some time later, feeling someone holding fingers to the side of my neck, and low murmurs in the room. My eyes fluttered open to see a worried Evan, a worried Ranger, a worried Lester, a worried Tank and a very sleepy Bobby tending to me. "What happened?" I asked, my voice more of a croak. I slapped Bobby's hands away and realized what had happened. I must have looked quite panicked because Bobby leaned over and whispered into me ear, "It's alright Bomber, you're covered." I nodded, my face bright red.

"Angel? Are you feeling okay?" The look or worry on Evan's face had not diminished in the least bit.

"Yeah. I'm okay." The look on his face was one of pure relief.

"Fuck, Ram. What the hell? Did you really knock her ass out like I think you did?" Les asked, laughter in his voice.

"Santos!" Ranger warned with a dark tone.

"Dude, doomsday was today!" Les added before Tank slapped him upside his head.

"Knock it off, Fuckwad!" He reprimanded.

"Guys..." I motioned for the door. "I'm fine, I just passed out. Alright? I'm fine. I'm alive, the baby is fine, so hit the road. I need to get some sleep." I motioned to the door with my finger again.

"Babe?" Ranger looked pained and glanced at Evan.

"Carlos. I'm fine. I just want to get some sleep." He gave his trademark almost sigh and lead the men out of the room.

Lord! You'd think they'd never seen a woman pass out from an orgasm before.

"ANGEL!" Evan nearly shouted, the guys froze and stood stock still for a moment before they turned back to the door. Les's grin and the smirk on Bobby's face as he left the room alerted me to the fact my internal thought had not stayed internal. No. I had said it out loud. Damn!

From down the hall I could hear Tank say to Ranger, "Damn, Rangeman! She was out for over an hour. Huh... Didn't know he was that good." A deep growl from Ranger was the only response I could hear as they made their way back to the bunkhouse.

Evan was holding his head in his hands, groaning at Tank's comment. "Baby? At lest they know you're a stud." I grinned and watched him roll his eyes at me like a trained 'burg' professional.

"Angel. I'd prefer that they think that way by how many children we end up with, not by how many times you pass out because I gave you doomsday orgasms."

"Why not? I think it's a perfectly acceptable way. And besides, I like it when you do that." I giggled and held my arms out for him. His loud sigh made me grin as he fell into bed with me after re-locking the bedroom door.

"Angel. I'd love to give you those everyday for the rest of your life, but while you're pregnant we better hold back a little. I just don't want to risk the baby."

"Baby, anything you want. I love you." I snuggled into his chest, breathing deeply his scent.

"Love you too, Angel. Now, we better get some sleep."

"M'kay." I closed my eyes and soon fell fast asleep in the arms of the man I loved


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet's characters. Damn! That sucks.**

**A/N: So I managed to hash out another chapter, I just hope that I can write another in the next day or so. Cross your fingers!**

**Chapter 22:**

The incessant blaring from the alarm clock dragged me from my blissful sleep. I felt Evan's arm swing out and heard the sickening crunch of the plastic as the clock broke apart as his fist slammed down on it. A quiet giggle escaped me and I could feel his body shaking from his own laughter. With my eyes remaining closed, I snuggled deeper into his chest and murmured, "Morning Baby. You ready to run?"

He sighed and groaned as he stretched his sleepy muscles. "I guess. You coming or are you going to play hookey for another two hours of sleep?" I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"I'll get up. Maybe the run will help me get over some of the anxiety I have about talking to my mother later." I sat up and rubbed my forehead with both of my palms. He rose out of bed and headed for the closet.

Remembering what had happened last night, I decided to just rip off the band-aid, so to speak, and ask Evan about why the guys were in the room last night. "Baby?"

"Hmm?" I could hear him answer as he dressed in the closet. He poked his head out the closet door to look at me. "What Angel?"

"Um... why were the guys in here last night?" I started to chip at the polish on my fingernails. "I mean I know I passed out and all, but why did they all come in? Why wasn't it just Bobby?" It felt awkward to think the core team all knew that I had a massive orgasm which left me passed out. It was kinda creepy, to think about it. It was something that I would have preferred remain private, I mean, I'm no exhibitionist.

"Angel." He sighed before sitting on the bed next to me, bumping his arm against mine. "You scared the shit out of me. I was worried about you. I was worried about Peanut. You passed out and wouldn't wake up." I watched his face, it showed nothing but fear. And in a final admission he whispered, "I thought I broke you."

I couldn't help it, but I laughed. It started out as a giggle then rolled right over into a hold your sides, coughing, gasping for air kind of laughter. He thought he broke me! Holy Shit! "Baby. You didn't break me." I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and slid into his lap, straddling him. I calmed myself enough to continue. "I just felt wierded out by them all staring at me like that."

"I freaked out when you wouldn't wake up. I ran out of the house wrapped in a towel and dragged Bobby out of bed. I guess the guys all thought something was wrong when I didn't even stop to let him pull on a pair of sweats. They followed us right back up here."

I laid my head on his chest, listening to him breathe. "I didn't notice. What did you say when they asked about what happened?"

He blushed and closed his eyes, his face turned up to the ceiling. "Um... you really want to know?" I nodded. "I told them I thought I killed you." He sighed and laid back on the bed. "Ranger almost decked me, Tank stopped him. Les asked what happened and I told him that we made love and you passed out."

"I bet Les loved hearing that one." I teased playfully.

"Bobby told me to take it easy on you. He suggested we wait until after the wedding to have sex again." I frowned at his comment and shook my head.

"Over my dead body. After tonight, I'm going to need you more than ever. I have a sickening feeling that things are going to go horribly wrong tonight." I admitted.

"Angel. Things will be fine. Don't worry, my Momma could kick your Mom's ass any day. Besides, I'm pretty sure Momma will keep your Mom busy talking about the rehearsal dinner menu. Your dad and Pop will get along fine. Now the one I'm worried about is your grandmother. She's going to be the entertainment for the night for sure." He grinned and rose back onto his feet, holding his hand out to help me to mine.

"I hope so. I'd hate to have my mother life flighted to a hospital because Momma kicked her ass." I giggled and allowed Evan to pull me to my feet. "Besides, we can always escape out the back door if need be." I turned into his arms and looked up at him, my arms wrapped around his waist. "Promise me, that if things get too crazy, you'll get me out of there and calm me down."

"I promise Angel." He placed a gentle kiss on my lips before releasing me to get dressed. "Now, hurry up. We have four minutes to get downstairs."

"Shit!" I jumped into the closet and tugged off my jammies and pulled on my running clothes. Tying my hair back into a messy ponytail, I ran down the stairs still clutching my shoes and socks to my chest. I dropped onto the porch stairs and quickly pulled them on as I watched the guys stretching.

"Well, well, well! Look who decided to finally wake up and join us." Les chuckled from somewhere in the middle of the crowd of guys.

"Suck it Santos!" I jabbed back as I finished tying my shoes.

"Well, Beautiful. When and where?" He teased as he made his way to my side.

"Never and forget it." I teased as I jumped to my feet and kicked my leg up into his hands. "Hold my leg so I can stretch it."

"Yes, Ma'am!" He replied and began to raise my leg higher and higher.

As he reached to his shoulder I stopped him. "That's good right there. Now hold it." I leaned forward and felt the muscles stretch. "Now switch." He dropped my leg and I kicked up my other leg just as high. As I finished stretching my second leg I noticed that the guys were unusually quiet. I turned my head to see them all staring at me. "What?"

"Babygirl, you're the only one here besides Les who can stretch that much. It's just almost painful to watch." I smiled and Les dropped my leg.

"What? You've never seen someone stretch that much?" Most of the guys shook their heads no. "Then I guess it would kinda hurt to watch me do this." Before they knew what hit them, I slid. onto the ground doing the splits. The look of horror and shock on their faces was priceless. I got to me feet and giggled. "Or what about this?" I kicked my leg up to my head, grabbed it and fell into a split on the ground. I heard groans and hisses as the guys all reacted to the sight of my falling into the splits.

"Babe." Ranger groaned. His hand reached out to help me to my feet.

"What? I was a majorette in high school. I had to do stuff like that all the time. It's nothing. One time I had to do a high kick in the air, land, do a hurkey and land in the splits then catch my fire baton in that position." The pained look on his face said all I needed to know. "You all are a bunch of pussys. You can fight, you can maim, you can kill. You can even watch the other guys die, but the sight of a girl dropping into the splits makes you cringe. Good Lord!" I turned away from them and began to jog in place to warm up.

"You never disappoint, Babe." He turned to the men before him and ordered them into formation. I sidled up between Evan and Tank.

"You ready to get your asses handed to you again?" I teased as we headed out and down the road.

"You're a mean little girl." Tank chided. I stuck my tongue out at him and tried to focus on my running. After a few minutes, Ranger turned to run backwards, he motioned to me and I ran up next to him.

"Babe. You can take the same men from yesterday." I leaned over and placed a quick peck onto his cheek.

"Thanks Batman." I turned around and shouted, "Slick, Gomez, Chase and Flash. Let's do it!" I spun around and sprinted ahead not waiting for the guys to catch up.

A moment of two later I felt the men surrounding me and I relaxed. Chase and Gomez were on my sides while Flash and Slick were covering my six. We ran at slightly below a sprint all the way to the gate, slapped it and turned around to head back. I used my time running trying to find a way to clear my mind from the chaos I knew that was going to descend upon me later that morning. We passed the guys even before they hit the halfway point and we passed them with a small wave and a chuckle from Evan.

I was flying on a runners high when we hit the house. I stopped momentarily to readjust my ponytail before running off again. The heavy breathing from the guys around me made me roll my eyes and sigh. "Do you guys really want to run with me, or is it because you're told to?"

"Bomber, we'd follow you to hell and back again, just to make sure you're safe. Besides, who else gets the chance to see your cute little ass when you run. No one else can keep up." Slick chuckled.

"Just don't fall too far behind." I teased and took off once again to the front gate.

We caught up the the main group of men as they were almost back to the halfway point. I grinned and sprinted past them, to my delight, I could hear one of the guys from Boston groan, "How in the hell does she do that? Last I heard, you had to bribe her with donuts to run. Now she's like Usien Bolt."

"Dude, you have no idea. She kicked ass in the fitness evals, kept up with Santos on the run."

"Holy shit!" I just grinned and ran past them like I never heard a word.

The guys and I were relaxing on the porch sipping coffee, in my case it was OJ, when the rest of the guys made their way back to the house. Evan ran past the rest of the guys to my side and performed his cool down routine as I watched. "Angel. You almost ready? We leave in little over an hour to get your folks."

"Yeah. I guess. Let me jump in the shower and I'll be down in 45." I grinned and bounded up the stairs.

45 minutes later I was showered, dressed, primped and coiffed within an inch of my life. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about what I was going to wear, my usual Rangeman uniform would do. I barreled down the stairs and into the kitchen to find a hot plate of food waiting for me at my place at the table. "Thanks Momma." I called over my shoulder as I began to stuff myself with the eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, fresh fruit and toast.

"Morning Darlin'." She called over hers as she pulled two loaves of fresh bread out of the oven. "You ready for your folks and friends to get here?" She asked, as she dropped the hot mitts onto the counter.

"I guess." I responded between mouthfuls. "I'm just nervous they're going to go nuts." I paused and rephrased that. "What I mean is, I hope Lula doesn't fly off the handle, that my grandmother doesn't try to molest too many of the guys and I pray to god no one pisses off my mother other than me."

"I'll be prayin' for you Darlin'." Momma chuckled and headed down into the cellar.

'Babygirl, you leave Lula to me. She'll be a good girl." Tank stated. I nodded and polished off the last of my orange juice. Just then Evan walked in freshly showered, shaved and dressed. Yummy!

"Angel." He laughed at my supposedly internal comment and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. I really need to try to get that under control." I frowned as I looked at the remains of my breakfast on my plate.

"Don't worry about it, Beautiful. It's something that makes you unique. One of a kind. We wouldn't have it any other way." I grinned and washed my plate off and placed it into the dishwasher. "Well, is everyone ready?" I asked as I glanced around the room at the guys still sipping their coffee.

"Yeah. Let's hit the road." Bobby exclaimed after he drained the last of his coffee.

To say that we had a caravan to the airport was an understatement. Fifteen big, blacked out SUV's all in line, with two blacked out trucks with hauling trailers following us made for quite a sight. We left the ranch and headed to Billings loaded to the gills with men, and me loaded down with snacks. Thankfully we only had to stop twice for me to tinkle. I think the guys took it all in stride, I mean they only complained the first time I had to pee. I was fast, I ran behind a tree after the guys did a quick sweep of the area, did my business and ran back as fast as I could. What? When a pregnant woman has to go, she's got to go. Sheesh!

I did finally manage to fall asleep about an hour away, giving the guys plenty of time to enjoy the last moments of peace and quiet. I'm pretty sure the guys were all dreading the arrival of Grandma Mazur, and were saying their prayers that she wouldn't molest them in any way shape or form. As I was dreaming away in my dreamland, Evan turned to Ranger and asked in a hushed voice, "Did you call Frank?"

Ranger nodded. "He's already been briefed on the situation and let's just say he wasn't too happy."

"I can imagine. I'm sure Helen is going to go off on Angel, and I've already promised her that I'll help her bail if she feels that she needs to. Just so you're warned."

"Understood." Ranger nodded. "You have a quiet place she can relax in?"

"Yeah, if need be I'll take her up to the hayloft in the big barn. It's where I used to chill with the guys after school." Evan looked happy, remembering the good times the guys had hanging out there.

"We'll send an escort with you if the need arises."

The feeling of soft lips brushing against mine woke me from my peaceful slumber. "Mmm... we there yet?"

"Angel. We're here. The jet's ETA is in 7. You better wake up and wipe the drool off of your chin."

"What!" I sat up, flipped the visor down to look in the mirror and frowned. There wasn't any drool. "Brat!" I chided him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I got you up didn't it?" Evan chuckled as he lifted me out of the SUV bridal style and hugged me close. "No matter what happens, you'll always be gorgeous to me, Angel."

"Love you, Baby."

"Love you too Angel." Evan kissed me gently before lowering me to the ground.

"Uhg! Get a room!" Vince teased. I stuck my tongue out at him and told him, "You're just jealous, Vincey Poo." At that the guys all broke out into laughter.

"Vincey Poo and the rest of you, secure the area!" Tank commanded.

Evan and I stood together leaning against the side of the SUV, waiting for the jet to arrive. I could see far off in the distance a black speck in the air, growing larger the closer it got. A garbled voice on the radio Ranger wore, signaled that the jet was making it's final approach. I watched as the jet slowly descended to the runway, it's tires making a chirping noise and a small puff of smoke as they made contact with the runway. After the jet had made it's complete stop, it taxied it's way over to the area near the SUV's. A uniformed guy from the airport drove a truck with a stairway attached to it over to the door, parked and helped to off load the gear and luggage from inside.

Finally after what seemed like hours, the door on the side of the jet opened and I could hear a distinct voice shouting from inside, "Make way, ain't no way I am stayin' on this plane any more!" And then like the bright ray of neon sunshine that she was, out came Lula, shielding her eyes from the bright mid day sun. She slowly made her way down the steps, due to the fact she was wearing 4 inch FMP's. Her outfit today screamed of neon pink tube top, matching neon pink short skirt, bright neon pink and white FMP's and her hair done in bright neon pink and blonde ringlets. She made it to earth in one piece thankfully and rushed over to where we were waiting.

"White gurl! Where in the hell are we?" She looked around the tarmac at all the men and looked like she was going to die from overload of the masculine buffet on display. "How come you got so many of them fine ass men protecting your ass?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the ranch. Good to see you Lula. I missed you." I hugged her, much to her surprise. In my family, we really don't do touchy feely. It's more of we let each other know we love them with food. Pineapple Upside down Cake, for example.

"Uh, okay. So how long it gona' take us to get to this ranch you talkin' 'bout?" Tank walked up behind Lula and wrapped her up in a massive hug. "TANKIE!" She spun around and proceeded to shove her tongue down his throat in the most blatant display of wanton lust I had seen in a long time. Ewww.

As Tank and Lula were getting, ahem... reacquainted, Connie, Mary Lou, Lenny, the girls Mary Alice and Angie descended the stairs. As I gave them all hugs and Evan shook hands, I watched as my mother and father exit the jet. My mother had her pocketbook grasped firmly in her hands and my father had his usual look of boredom on his face. I excused myself and walked over to the bottom of the steps. "Mom, Daddy, how was the flight?"

My mother's face pinched slightly before she answered, "It wasn't too bad. Your father managed to help Lula from being airsick. How? I'll never know." I wrapped her into a tight hug and she flinched slightly before patting my arm. "Alright, alright."

"Hi, Pumpkin." Dad gave me a gentle hug and kissed the side of my head.

"Daddy. I'm so glad you guys are here." I lied. So sue me.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my ear close to his mouth. In a whisper, "I know what's going on, Pumpkin. Ranger called me earlier. I'll try to keep your mother in line. As for your crazy grandmother, you're on your own." I nodded and kissed his cheek. They walked over to greet Ranger and Evan, leaving me to wait for my grandma.

"Well, there she is. My beautiful Grandbaby!" I smiled and glanced up the stairs to see my grandmother standing at the top of the stairs taking in the huge group of men that lay before her. "Ain't that a pip! Check out all of these hotties! Not as cute as Evan or the one with the huge package, but they're nice!" Whenever grandma was up to no good, she rattled the lower plate of her dentures around, and right about now they were making an awful racket.

"Hi, Grandma. We need to get going." I urged, hoping I could talk to her for a quick minute.

"Sure thing." She descended the stairs with as much grace as a baby giraffe, and I gave her a quick hug.

"Grandma. I need you on your best behavior while you're here. After the wedding, you can have at the men, but until then, I need you to be good." I pleaded with her.

"Sure thing, Grandbaby." She patted me on the back and winked. Whispering into my ear she asked, "How's the little one?" I blushed and smiled.

"Doing fine. Please remember, it's a secret, okay?"

"Sure, sure. Now where's that hunk of man meat you call Evan?" She glanced around until she caught sight of him and walked over to greet him.

I waltzed over to Ranger and the guys greeting my family and friends. Leaning against Evan I watched the guys finish loading the trucks and trailers with supplies. "Mount up." I heard Tank bellow. My mother and Val seemed a little apprehensive, but complied. My parents, Grandma Mazur, Val and the girls loaded into Vince and Hector's SUV; Lenny, Evan, Cal, Binkie, Tank and Wolf in another SUV; finally, the girls and I, Hal, Les, Ranger and Bobby rode in the third SUV. Initially I felt sorry for the guys in our SUV, with all the girl talk that happened, but after a while, it wore off as I became more and more involved in the conversations.

"Steph, what are we going to do at your Hen Party?" Connie asked, curious as to what was in store.

I shrugged and pointed to Les. "He's planning it. I had no say in it. I just told him no strippers, male or female."

Lula scoffed, "Gurl, why you be messin' with tradition? You know we always have a stripper at these things." I blushed and dropped my head into my hands.

"I don't want strippers. End of story. I can't deal with it right now. I have enough on my mind without having to see some guy dangling his doodles in my face." Connie doubled over with laughter as Bobby, Ranger and Les shook their heads. Poor Hal, he turned a shade closest to beet red and nearly choked from embarrassment.

Lula glared at me, "What's the matter Gurl? You afraid you gonna miss somethin'? I mean it's not like it ain't somethin' you ain't never seen before. Just some men got bigger ones than others. Take Hal, I bet his ain't as big as my Tankie's." I must have died and gone to hell, taking Hal with me.

"Ma'am. I really don't think comparing Tank and my... uh... you knows... is relevant." Hal piped up, looking like he was close to having a stroke.

"What the matter wit' you? You jealous?" Lula challenged, "'cuz I'm damn sure my Tankie's got a good five inches on yo' white ass."

Connie, Mare and I paled at the thought of a hugely endowed Tank. Shaking the image from my head, poor Connie seemed stuck until I slapped the back of her head. "God! Don't let me do that again." Connie begged, I'd never be able to look at him in the eyes again.

Mary Lou giggled and then backed off slightly. "I think you all are jus' jealous." Lula added.

"Whatever." I replied. "I just want to state for the record, that I am more than happy with what Evan has. Thank you very much." I grinned and turned to see Ranger shaking his head at us. "What?"

"I always thought women were worse than men when it came to talking about stuff like this but honestly I never thought it was this bad." Bobby stated shaking his head as well.

"Bobby, this isn't anything. Wait until we get a couple of glasses of wine in us. Whew! You'd blush just as bad as Hal." Connie added.

"Lord help me!" Hal muttered under his breath and I giggled.

"Hal, Honey. Are you alright?" I asked, laying my hand on his shoulder.

"Bomber, please, you're killing me." He ground out between gritted teeth.

"Ladies," Ranger said in his normal calm cool and collected manner, "Could we possibly refrain from involving penis sizes in your conversations?"

I nearly choked on the mouthful of water I was trying to drink, Connie's mouth dropped open, Mare turned pale and I'm pretty sure I thought I saw Lula blush. Hot Damn! "Hey Batman. You let us in on why we got a whole army protectin' us?" Lula asked, trying to change the subject.

"All in good time." He replied.

The rest of the way back to the ranch was spent chatting about the wedding decor and the food choices. I think the guys finally breathed a big sigh of relief. Nothing can honestly compare to us girls when we get going. I watched Bobby nod off with about a half hour to go. I nudged him awake and winked, he winked back and tried in vain to remain awake. Poor Ranger looked as if he were going to strangle us all by the time we pulled up to the front gate. One of the guys guarding the front gate opened it and allowed the caravan to pass by. The girls all watched him silently, and then turned to me with questions in their eyes.

"Steph, you have a lot of explaining to do." Mary Lou whispered.

**A/N: Please read and review. I live for reviews... or I'd like to think so. They make me so happy and make me want to write more chapters. So please, help me out and leave a review.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 23:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet Evanovich's characters. Damn!**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to post another chapter. I know... I know... excuses, excuses. Honestly RL is kicking my ss, and I really can't manage but a few measley minutes per day to pound out this story. Sometimes I wish I could become invisible so I can hide from my crazy family. Sheesh! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, it's taken me over a week of writing a few paragraphs at a time to finish it. Please read and review, it makes me sneak away from RL for a few extra precious moments to write more. Thanks!**

Noticing the rising dust far off in the distance, Momma focused her gaze to the top of the small rise where the road disappeared. In the matter of moments, she could make out the long line of SUV's coming up the road, like ants all in a line. She shouted to Pop who was working to finish up his repairs to the sliding door for the large barn. He walked out dusting his hands off on his jeans, watching the line of SUV's grow closer and closer. In an unconscious reaction to the impending invasion of city folk, he sighed and rolled his eyes. Joining Momma on the front porch of the house, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and watched the caravan pull to a stop.

The sound Tank's voice barking orders was soon drowned out by the sound of the men chattering and women squealing. Pop almost fell over when he watched an oddly familiar figure step out of one of the SUV's, he dropped the arm from around Momma's waist and made his way down the steps.

"Major Plum, Sir?" I watched Pop extend his hand to my father, and my jaw dropped.

"Ramsey?" My father looked a little shell shocked, eyebrows raised. They shook hands before embracing into a typical man hug with a few back slaps.

"Holy crap! Your dad knows my dad?" Evan was floored. "Pop?"

"Evan..." Pop laid a hand on Evan's shoulder and grinned. "Son, I want you to meet Major Frank Plum. He and I served together in Vietnam."

The Rangemen grew quiet and watched the happy reunion between my father and Evan's father. Ranger slid to my side and whispered into my ear, "Babe? Did you know?" I shook my head while I continued to watch the two men catch up.

Pop called Momma over and made introductions. "I want you to meet the major I told you all those stories about. Major Plum, I'd like for you to meet my wife, Bunny. Momma, Major Frank Plum."

She held out her hand and shook it jovially. "Major, it's so nice to finally meet you. And to think, you're Darlin's Daddy." She grinned. "And who is this lovely lady you have here?"

Daddy motioned to my Mom. "Helen, I'd like you to meet Master Sergeant Turk Ramsey and his wife Bunny." My mother, ever the Burg housewife, offered her greeting.

"Nice to meet you." My mother still was a little hesitant and remained quiet for the most part as the men chatted.

"Darlin'?" Momma motioned for me to join them. "Will you set out the tray in the refrigerator onto the kitchen table for me?"

"Yes, Momma." I quickly turned to make my way into the house, but I caught the look of surprise on my mother's face, before I walked away.

A few minutes later, the Plums, the Ramseys, the girls and all of the core team were seated at the table or leaning against the counters in the kitchen. I handed out glasses of iced tea and set multiple plates of cookies out. The whole time I worked, my mother watched me carefully. Just as I sat down, I heard Wolf talking to someone as he walked into the kitchen.

"They're just in the kitchen, Mrs. Mazur."

"Thank you, Wolf. I'd love to hear some stories later, if you have time."

"Of course, Ma'am." I watched Wolf lead Grandma into the kitchen. She was fully focused on the giant of a man leading her, ignoring the fact that a large group of people were watching her. I vacated my seat and allowed Wolf to seat her at the kitchen table. Evan pulled me into his lap and I leaned back against his well muscled chest, enjoying the warmth.

"Grandma. I'd like for you to meet Evan's family." I motioned to Evan's family. "I'd like you to meet Turk and Bunny Ramsey. And Evan's brother's Justin and Junior." I turned to Momma and Pop, "I'd like for you to meet my grandmother, Edna Mazur."

"Ain't that a pip! I can see where Evan gets his good looks from. You two are just the cutest things." Grandma crooned. Both Momma and Pop grinned. "And hot damn! Don't you both look good enough to eat." Both Junior and Justin blanched at Grandma's exclamation.

"Grandma!" I hissed. "Best behavior." I groaned as she rolled her eyes and grinned.

The boy all snickered and tried to stay in the background, watching the scene unfolding before us. "Babe. I think you better explain the situation." I rolled my eyes, just like grandma, mind you, and sighed.

"Fine." I tried not to pout, but it wasn't happening. "I guess I better tell you why we're surrounded by the best Rangeman has to offer."

"Stephanie..." My mother began, but was cut off by my father.

"Helen, let the girl speak."

"Look, this is not exactly what I had in mind when I started planning the wedding. There is an explanation for Evan and I coming out to Montana earlier than we had planned. I have another stalker." At that my mother threw up her hands and almost screeched like a banshee.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! What are you thinking? How did this happen? Is this because of your job as a bounty hunter? Why me?" She dropped her face into her hands.

"Mom!" I shouted through gritted teeth. "Look! This is not good. I have no idea if this is tied to being a BEA. Or if it's tied to something else. I don't know. All I know is that no matter what, Evan and I are still getting married."

"Her head shot up and a look of shock crossed her face. "What do you mean it's still going to happen? Stephanie, you can't be serious?"

"Deadly." Evan stated in his no nonsense Rangeman voice. "Mrs. Plum..."

"Evan dear, I told you to call me Helen."

"Yes, Helen. We are getting married. Period. We have all the security we need, plus with the cooperation from the Sheriff's department, we're covered." I sighed, thankful he had stepped in. "We are asking that _ALL_ of you take into consideration the fact that someone is trying to harm Angel." Evan rubbed his hand on my arm gently reassuring me. "We ask that you be aware of what is happening around you, allow a member of the Rangeman team to escort you around the property if need be, and please allow the men to do their jobs."

"Son, what is this threat exactly?" Ladies and Gentlemen, my father. It was odd watching him morph back into the military-like demeanor.

"Well, Angel has received several threats to her." He motioned for Bobby and Les to lay out a copy of the photo from the box that held the damaged heart. My father took one look at it and blanched. "We are working with local police to determine who this latest stalker is."

Val wrapped her arms around a suddenly quiet Mary Alice and Angie. "Steph? Does this mean the girls are in danger, too?"

I shook my head and answered honestly. "I don't think so. I've been the target the whole time."

"Gurl! You sure know how to stir things up. Don't 'cha?" Lula sighed as she twirled a strand of her hair on her neatly manicured finger.

"So, what's the plan?" Connie asked, appearing to the others as if this was nothing to be worried about.

"We have a perimeter set around the ranch, we have designated men assigned to protect the wedding party and family, we will be screening the guests as they arrive, and we have a trained K-9 arriving later tonight who is trained in bomb detection, drug detection, and certainly is trained to attack when ordered." Tank responded matter of factly. "I do not expect any problems, but 'always vigilant, always aware' is what we are striving for."

"That's all well and good, but how are you going to watch all the guests and manage to keep any outsiders from hurting my daughter?" My mother remarked, miffed.

"Ma'am. I trust your daughter's intuition. She has an uncanny ability to know when bad things are about to happen. I trust her enough to let us know if she feels something is off. She, of all people, wants this wedding to go off without any problems. We have over 40 men here scattered around the property, no one can get in without our knowledge."

"Mom." I sighed and took her hand in mine. "I trust the guys. They would never allow someone to hurt me without trying to stop them. Please trust them?" She pursed her lips into a tight straight line, eyes narrowed and she sighed forcefully.

"Fine." She threw up her hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. Now will you excuse me? I need to powder my nose." I showed my mom to the bathroom, silently. "Stephanie. You better tell me what is really going on." She hissed as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Mom. It's exactly what we said in the kitchen. I have a stalker. End of story." I tried to gloss it over. "It's nothing new. I get them all the time. I can handle it." I waved my hand nonchalantly. "Nothing major." I was failing miserably at trying to placate my mother. She wasn't buying it. At all.

"Nothing major?" She whispered forcefully. "What are you saying? Of course it's important. What would the neighbors at home say?"

"Mom. I don't care what they think." I began to feel my BP rise to a dangerous level. Instinctually, my hand settled onto my stomach.

"What's the matter? Is your stomach upset?" My mother asked, concerned. "Are you getting an ulcer? Poor Joseph had ulcers. He was drinking all that Maalox. I'm surprised he hadn't turned into a giant bottle of it. The poor man." I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth.

"Mother! Joe tried to hurt me. He tried to kill me. He's gone, Mother." At this point I was screaming, BP be dammed. "I can't believe you brought up that Jackass! How dare you! He tried to kill Evan! What is wrong with you?" Evan was at my side in an instant, followed by Ranger and the boys. Evan turned to my mother and shook his head.

"Helen, I don't know what you've been told about what happened, but your daughter almost died that night. She saved my life and she shot and killed Officer Morelli in self defense. He had knocked me unconscious, and attempted to shoot me, as well as her. As her mother, I had hoped you would have understood what had happened, and sided with _your_ daughter, instead of a psychopathic maniac like Morelli." He turned us and lead me out to the hayloft. My mother stood there in the hallway, mouth gaping like a goldfish.

Hal escorted us up and into the hayloft, dropping the hatch into place and securing it with the piece of metal rebar. He stood guard by standing directly on top of the trapdoor. I buried my head into Evan's chest as he lowered us down onto the giant pile of fresh hay. "Angel. I need you to breath and to relax. Can you do that for me?" I shrugged my shoulders and sighed as I snuggled deeper into his chest.

"Why does she always need to be a bitch?" I asked, my tears staining Evan's shirt.

"I think it's her way of ridding herself of guilt and self doubt."

"What?" I couldn't understand Hal's train of thought.

"Look..." Hal seated himself on the floor near us, leaning against a post, legs straight, ankles crossed. "She obviously feels it's her fault that things happen to you." I opened my mouth to object but he hed up his hand to stop me. "I know, it's faulty logic, but for her it works. She thinks it's her fault because you didn't follow the path in life she had expected you to. And because you decided to live life on your terms, accepting what life throws at you, stalkers and exploding cars included, she feels that she should have steered you in a different direction." I was silent absorbing in what he had said. "She is doubting herself, doubting the way she raised you. I'm not saying she was the perfect mom, or that her method of raising you was perfect, but she thinks she did something wrong to cause thing like this in your life to happen."

"That's just stupid." I stated with furrowed brows. "I mean, she wasn't the 'world's greatest mom' or anything, but she did alright, I guess. It's my decisions and my choices that shape my life, either directly or indirectly. It's not her fault."

"Have you ever told her that what happens to you in life is because of your decisions? That you do things the way you do because it's what you want?"

"No." I sulked. I hated when other people dissected my life and saw it for what it really was. "I never thought about it. I mean, I've always told her that I loved my life, on my terms, but nothing like what you said. I've just never thought about it." Evan gently stroked my back, his eyes closed, listening to the two of us, delving deep within the recesses of my life.

'Angel. I think you should sit down with your mom and have a talk with her. It should improve things, once she is absolved of her guilt."

Rolling my eyes, "Please, we're Catholic. We're never completely without guilt." I joked, watching Hal grin. "So, how'd you get so intuitive Hal?" I reached out and stroked his knee gently.

"I have a degree in Psychology with a minor in Abnormal Psych." He replied quietly, staring at his fingers.

I rolled off the pile of hay and sat down in his lap, placing a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Hal." He blushed a light pink color before kissing me back on my own cheek.

"It's alright Bomber. Anything to help you." He paused to look at Evan, before adding, "You know, I love you right?" I glanced up into his eyes, seeing nothing but love and admiration shining back at me.

"Yeah. I love you, too Hal." I snuggled into his chest and closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. "It's so nice to know I have such a loving family. My boys love me."

"Angel. It's hard not to love you." Evan chuckled, he had laid back onto the hay, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "You want to hang out here for a while yet?"

My sigh betrayed my true feelings. "No. I better have that talk with my mom." Evan stood and held out his hand to me, I took it and found myself on my feet in no time flat. Turning to Hal, I found him already on his feet and swinging the trap door open. "Let's do this before I chicken out."

I seated myself on the porch swing, staring out at the vast expanse of prairie before me. The sound of the screen door closing broke me from my trance. "Stephanie?" I heard my mother's unmistakable voice calling for me.

"Over here, Mom." She glanced to her right, sighted me and seated herself next to me, hands in her lap, eyes forward.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." I think the shocked look on my face went unnoticed, when she continued. "I wasn't taking your feelings into consideration. I'm sorry."

Okay, who is this woman sitting in front of me and what has she done with the real Helen Plum? "Mom?" I wasn't sure of what she was doing.

"Honey, I'm not the most understanding person. I know I can be overbearing and pushy, but it's not because I'm being a mean person."

"I know." I suddenly found my fingernails very interesting. It beat looking at my mom's face as she spoke. "I just wanted you to know that it's not your fault." She shifted to look at me, using her finger to turn my head so I looked at her as I spoke. "I know sometimes you feel guilty, thinking that the things that happen to me in my life are your fault. They're not. What happens to me is because of the life I choose to live. And I'm okay with that. I know I don't live the ideal life you had picked out for me, but I'm happy, most of the time. And I like the job I have, I like the friends I have and I like the direction it's going."

Tears spilled down my mother's cheeks, down her face. "When you were growing up, I always imagined you having a house of your own, raising children and taking care of your husband... like I did. When you went to college and got hired on at E.E. Martin, I was taken by surprise. I didn't know you didn't want the same thing I wanted. I thought it was a phase, to be honest. Then you got that job with your cousin Vinnie, and I was shocked. How could a girl born and raised in the Burg want to do a job like that? It was a hard pill to swallow." She sighed and held my hands in hers.

"Mom, at the time I got hired on by Vinnie, I just needed a job. I really didn't think I'd be good at finding people and tracking them down. It was just a paycheck. But the farther along I got, the better I got." I wiped a tear away before it made it's way down my cheek. "I have to thank the guys for helping me. I would probably be dead if it wasn't for them." Her sharp intake of breath made me continue before she broke down. "They trained me, helped me collar the really bad skips and they never let me see myself as weak or stupid."

"Is that what you think I see you as?" She asked in a whisper.

"No. It's what I saw myself as for the longest time. I'm the one that got myself into plenty of bad situations because I didn't listen to Ranger or the guys, but they always helped me or saved me. They helped me to become the person that I am today." We sat in silence for a while absorbing what we had said.

"Do you think I'm a horrible mother?" My mom sighed nervously.

"No. I think you're doing what any mother would do. I think if I were put in the same situation I might do the same thing. I know, I didn't plan on being this way. It just happened."

"You're really happy?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm happy. I know that the things that happen to me sometimes are scary and dangerous, but it comes with the life I lead."

"It's hard to watch your child struggle." She cleared her throat. "It's even more difficult watching a dream you have for your child die right before your eyes."

"It's not dead, Mom. It's just tweaked a little. I have a great job, I'm going to have a baby, I'm getting married and I'm going to have a home of my own. It's just I work for Rangeman instead of working part-time at the Library, I'm pregnant now instead of after the wedding, I'm getting married to Evan even though he's not from the 'Burg', and I'm going to have an apartment at Rangeman as well as a spot here at the ranch. What more could I ask for?"

"You truly are happy. I can see it in your face." She rubbed her thumb over my cheek, as her eyes watered. She leaned forward and placed a featherlight kiss on my cheek. "I love you. Don't ever doubt that."

"I love you, too Mom." I wrapped my arms around her and we stayed in that embrace for a while, enjoying the silence.

**A/N: So I managed to finish this chapter sometime after 3 am last night. Hmm... that explains the 'talk' between Steph and her mom. **

**Obviously, I love reviews, and I love reading them. So, seeing as how I haven't received very many in the last few chapters, I think I might hold one of the Merry Men hostage until I receive a fair amount of reviews. Mwa-ha-ha! *evil grin* **

**Okay, both Steph and Ranger just told me if I decide to hold someone hostage, it will have to be Grandma Mazur, not one of the Merry Men. *pouting* So, I guess I won't be holding anyone hostage. I can't hold Grandma hostage, she rocks. Besides, she told me that she'd never tell me about grabbing Lester's ass if I did hold her hostage. Damn! I hate it when she plays hardball! So please leave a review, I'd really, really,**_** really**_** like to hear Grandma tell me about Lester's ass. *far away look plastered on my face and drooling***


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 24:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I profit from Janet Evanovich's characters.**

**A/N: For those of you who watch Fox a lot, you may recognize two characters from a very popular show from that network. They are not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a while and I promise I'll return them in the same condition I received them in. Honest.**

Rejoining the rest of our group in the kitchen, I grabbed a glass of orange juice and sat on Evan's lap. The men were all debating the benefits of diesel engines versus standard gas, and the girls were chatting about the decor of the wedding. "I hope you all are ready for a nice dinner tonight." I asked the girls.

"Gurl, I can't wait to try those pies Momma keeps talking about." Lula stated, licking her lips in anticipation.

"Steph? Is it okay if the girls go outside and play?" Val asked, watching the girls fidget in their seats.

"Sure. There's enough men out and about to keep an eye on them." I answered. "If it'll make you feel better, I can have one of the Merry Men watch them?"

She smiled and nodded. "I guess that will be fine." She turned to Angie, "Keep an eye on your sister. Keep her away from the horses." Angie nodded and Mary Alice frowned, pouting.

"Girls. Head on outside, I'll have one of the guys watch you." They grinned and bolted for the door. Hal followed them wearing a huge grin. Looking at my mother's nervous reaction, I soothed her fears. "Mom, it's okay. Hal will take good care of them. He's a big kid himself."

Both Bobby and Les chuckled, "Bomber, that's the first time I've ever heard someone call Hal a big kid." Bobby teased.

"Yeah, Beautiful. He's not exactly the right age to be a kid anymore."

"I know. But I trust him to take care of the girls and honestly he's really a kid trapped in a man's body. Have you seen the look on his face when we all play around with the paintball guns? It's like he's ten and trying to nail all the other neighborhood kids with a giant squirt gun." The laughter that followed was light hearted and full of life. That all ended when a knock at the back door let us know that we had visitors.

"Mack?" I heard Bear's distinct voice calling through the screen door.

"In here, Bear." I answered. "Come on in."

He entered, pulling his hat from his head, followed soon after by a prim brunette carrying a messenger bag over her shoulder. What I didn't expect was for another man in a suit to follow behind her. The guys all rose to their feet.

"Everyone. I'd like for you to meet the forensic pathologist from Washington and her partner. Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. They're here to investigate the body you all found."

I should have warned my family and friends, but I had completely forgot about the body. Damn! Lula's eyes widened and turned to me, as did the others in the room. I felt as if I had a spotlight focused right over me. In my defense I blurted out, "It wasn't my fault. I just found it."

Ranger almost sighed and turned to the newcomers. "Ranger Manoso. My men are the ones that retrieved the body. They're sorry if they damaged the crime scene."

"Yes. They did damage the scene. Do your men know the proper techniques for gathering evidence? They moved very important evidence." Dr. Brennan countered.

Agent Booth tried to placate the good doctor. "Bones, they know that. They did what they thought was right."

Undeterred she responded. "They were wrong." I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"Dr. Brennan? I'm Stephanie Plum. I'm sure the men didn't want to damage the scene. I know they took photos of the body and surrounding area with their cell phones before they disturbed the body. I can have Hector bring you copies of those photos right away. Are you planning on returning to Billings or are you staying somewhere nearby?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"I assumed we were staying here." Dr. Brennan countered. "I can see plenty of acommidations for your men Mr. Manoso. Surely you have an extra tent or two?" She asked, matter of factly.

Ranger looked as if he were thinking of smiling. "I have two tents available. I also have a mobile lab I can set up if the need arises."

"Good, great!" Agent Booth laughed, slapping his hands together. "Let's see what we can do about getting us all set up." He turned to Ranger. "You sure you about having us here? I mean, it looks as if you're about to have a party or something."

"Angel and I are getting married here on Saturday." Evan piped up and grinned. He stuck his hand out to Agent Booth. "Evan Ramsey. You can call me Ram."

"Seeley Booth. You can call me Booth." He frowned for a moment and then a look of recognition graced his face. "I know you. I met you before in Falujah." Evan's eyes darted from Booth to Ranger and back again. "Yeah, you were on R&R."

Remembering, Evan relaxed and grinned."Yeah. Now I remember." Evan turned to Ranger and Tank, "You were getting ready to rejoin your unit. How'd it go?"

"Great. I'm still here." He gave a panty melting smile. Val, Mary Lou, Lula and Connie all sighed and I rolled my eyes at the feebs attempt at humor.

"Can you get Dr. Brennan all set up, Tank? I'd like to talk to Agent Booth." I asked Tank.

"Sure thing Babygirl." He turned to the doctor.

"Right this way Dr. Brennan." They exited the kitchen and allowed us to speak with Agent Booth.

"So, Agent Booth..." I began but was stopped midway through my question.

"Booth. Please." He countered.

"Booth. Are we still going to be able to continue with my wedding?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's not like we're dealing with someone who got whacked by someone from 'the family' or anything." Connie popped off with. "It's not like what happens when we're in at home in Trenton."

"This happens a lot at home?" Booth asked, a little stunned.

"It's not my fault!" I blurted and filled him in on our professions and what life is really like at home. By the time I was done, he was slack jawed and a little in awe.

"I've heard of you! The Bombshell Bounty Hunter." He pointed to me. "And I've definately heard of you Sir," He turned to look at Ranger, extending his hand to shake Ranger's. "I've heard nothing but good things about you and your men. It's nice to finally meet you."

Ranger nodded but kept silent. "I have to say, Bones and I were almost brought in to examine the Ramos body a few years back. Glad they figured out who was behind it all."

"Beautiful was the one who helped Ranger clear his name." Les explained. "She's the one that made friends with Alexander Ramos." Booth turned and stared at me like I was covered in slime or something.

"Alexander Ramos and you are friends?" I nodded and grinned.

"He's really a sweet guy. Just needed cigarettes and some booze once and a while." I shrugged and turned to Evan. "Baby? Can we talk to Booth in the parlor?" Evan nodded and lead the three of us into the parlor.

An hour later Evan, Booth and I exited the parlor and found only Momma and Junior in the kitchen. "Mrs. Ramsey, Thank you for allowing us to remain here on the ranch to investigate." Booth stated as he watched Momma and Junior peeling potatoes.

"All guests are welcome in my home Agent Booth." She set down her paring knife and stared at him right in the eyes. "Now young man, tell me, are you hungry?" The wide grin that covered his face at that point said it all. She proceeded to make a huge plate of food for him and set him down at the table to eat.

Between bites Booth told us about Dr. Brennan. "She's kind of particular about how she does things."

"I can see that." I replied dryly, trying _very _hard not to roll my eyes.

"She's just not very emotional and she has a hard time accepting anything that isn't science fact."

"I am emotional and although I have a hard time accepting things that are not scientifically proven, I accept the fact that sometimes, things can not be scientifically explained all the time." Dr. Brennan explained from the doorway.

"Bones!" Booth jumped up and guided her to the table. "Hungry? I've got plenty." He offered her the remains of his plate.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." She turned to Ranger who has at some point made his way into the kitchen. "Mr. Manoso, I'd like for the lab to be set up as quickly as possible."

"My men are finishing as we speak." He replied and snagged a beer from the fridge. Motioning to Booth, "Beer?"

He shrugged and held his hand up. "Sure."

"Booth! We're on a case." Dr. Brennan objected.

"Technically, we're still waiting on the lab set up, so I can have a beer if I just have one." Grabbing the beer thrown through the air in his direction, he popped the top of the beer and took a long drink. "Ahhh. That hits the spot." He grinned and I smiled. Maybe he wasn't too bad for a Fed.

The next few hours went by in a blur, the conversation was light and the time for the dreaded dinner with the family was drawing near. A bunch of the guys helped Momma prep for the dinner, grilling the meats, cutting vegetables and aiding her with anything else she needed. I sat back and watched them sipping a glass of iced tea. Booth wandered back into the kitchen and lowered himself into the seat next to me.

"So... you and Ram huh?"

I turned to look at him. He was handsome in a rugged way similar to Evan, but not as muscular. His brown hair was cut and styled in the typical Fed fashion. His belt buckle with the word 'cocky' and his crazy socks had me smiling. If I hadn't been so in love with Evan I might have fallen for his good looks and quick humor. But since I was in love with Evan, I thought of him as a really nice guy who had the slight affliction of working for the FBI. "Yeah. Hope the situation with the wedding doesn't throw off your investigation too much."

"Naw. We'll be fine. Guess it can't hurt to have another trained professional here to help, should anything happen." He raised an eyebrow. I furrowed mine and glared at him. "What?" He stated defensively. "The guys filled me in on what's been happening with the stalker. Seems you collect them almost as much as Bones collects, well... bones."

"It's not something I'm proud of. It just happens." I shrugged as if to say, what can I do? Trying to change the subject I asked him, "Are you all set up with the lab?"

"Yeah. Bones had the comm guys set up a secure line to the Squints at the Jeffersonian. Bones is updating them right now."

"Squints?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "The nerds in the lab. There's Angela, she's the one who does the facial reconstructions and is our resident computer guru. Hodgins, he's the bug expert and loves doing the experiments. Sweets, he's our baby-faced shrink. He also does our psychological profiles. Zach, he's the biggest egghead of them all. He's Bones's protege. There's a few others, but these four are the major players, besides Bones." He knocked on the table with his knuckles. "Wanna see us in action?"

"Sure." I perked up. Maybe I could find out more about this poor girl by hanging out and watching them in action. I followed him to the backside of one of the smaller barns to find a _HUGE_ tent set up with all kinds of power cables and comm lines running into it. Booth pulled back the flap and allowed me to enter. I saw Dr. Brennan standing in front of a large computer screen talking to someone.

"Angela. I'd like for you to digitally recreate the crime scene based on my sketches and the cell phone photos. Hodgins, based on the entomogolical evidence, I'd like to get a timeline determine when the victim died. Zach, I'd like for you to work with Dr. Hodgins, pay close attention to any ."

I accidentally bumped into a table and Booth kept from falling over and breaking something. Dr. Brennan focused her attention on me. "Ms. Plum. I'd like for you to meet my staff." She turned the monitor around to face me and I gave a small finger wave.

"Hi."

I watched as three faces crammed the screen trying to get a better look at me. I heard one of the men chuckle and say, "So, you're the one who got the weird sense that something was wrong and noticed the body, huh?"

"Hodgins." Dr. Brennan admonished. "To say that Ms. Plum relies on some type of extra sensory perception, is false and improbable. No scientific evidence has proven it otherwise."

I shook my head. "I beg to differ, Dr. Brennan. No offense. But I have what the guys call my Spidey Sense. I can feel when something is off or wrong. I can sense when Evan or Ranger are near by and I'm almost always right."

"Spidey sense? Dude, she's amazing! Are you sure you're really getting married to that Ram guy?" The man I assumed was Hodgins asked.

"Hey!" Booth cut in. "She's spoken for Hodgins."

Just at that moment, Ranger and Evan walked into the tent. Ranger raised his eyebrow at me and asked, "Babe?"

"Booth was showing me the lab." I explained.

I heard a sharp intake of breath from the woman I knew to be Angela. I could hear her under her breath, "Good Lord! Fly me to Montana to find a hunk like one of them." Hodgins elbowed her and she grinned. "What?"

We exited the tent and allowed Dr. Brennan to finish with her staff, as Booth and Ranger talked. Evan and I wandered back to the house and up to our room. "Baby? Are we always going to have a crazy life?" I asked laying down on the bed, facing the ceiling in my favorite thinking position.

"I hope not, Angel. I hope not." He flopped down into the recliner and sighed. "I'm thinking the dinner may go better than we thought, so long as we don't have a meteor strike the house or something along those lines." He teased, watching for a reaction from me.

Throwing a pillow in his general direction, I groaned and hid my eyes with my arm. "I just wish the wedding would get here already. I'm tired of waiting to be your wife." I lamented. "I was ready months ago."

"I know Angel. I know." He crawled out of the recliner and stalked over to the bed. "I think laying down before dinner will do us a world of good. Don't you think?" He asked as he nuzzled my neck.

The grin that covered my face was priceless. It flowed from ear to ear. "I think if we do what you're thinking, we'll never get any sleep Mr. Ramsey."

"Who said anything about sleeping?" I laughed and enjoyed being with the man that I love.

Evan and I arrived back downstairs, after freshening up in the showers. I was quite sure that I was unable to get rid of that tell-tale glow on my face, but at that point I didn't care. We followed our noses to the kitchen and found the counters fully loaded with food, the fridge fully stocked with beer and wine and a lovely glass of lemonade for me. Joining us for our "family" were Dr. Brennan and Booth.

We filled our plates and sat around the long kitchen table as well as extra tables brought in from the yard. It was an enjoyable time, even my grandmother was on her best behavior. She had already talked to Dr. Brennan and Booth earlier in the day and I had thankfully missed it. Apparently, Grandma and Dr. Brennan hit it off and were talking like old friends when I watched them across the table. Booth and most of the boys were chatting about their deployments, Ranger, Evan and my father were quiet, watching the interactions of all the people around us. Lula, Connie, Val, Mary Lou and the girls were discussing the merits of different kinds of facials. My mother, Momma and Pop were deep in a discussion about who knows what, and the remaining people sitting around the kitchen were listening to the conversations around them, soaking it in.

Tapping my glass with my knife, I stood on my feet waiting for everyone's attention. After a moment all eyes were focused on me and I took a deep breath to calm myself. "I'd like to thank everyone for being here to help Evan and I to celebrate our wedding. We thought tonight's dinner would be a great opportunity for everyone to meet and mingle a little. I know some of you have not been introduced, but in the next few days I'd like for you to all get to know each other." I glanced over to my parents who watched in silence. "I'd like to make a few announcements while I have your attention. Tomorrow morning, Ella and Louis are due in. There will be what's called a 'Cleaning Party' during the late morning and early afternoon. A quick final fitting for the dresses will be overseen by Ella. The Hen Party, as Connie calls it, will begin at 6 pm. All ladies are expected to attend. Any questions are to be directed to Lester, since he's the Man of Honor." Turning to Evan, I winked and continued. "As for the Stag Party, you'll have to ask Cal. He's the best man and I'm guessing the one in charge."

I pointed to Cal directly and gave him a stern look, "I know you all are going hunting, but make sure you get him back in one piece, sober and able to say 'I Do' Saturday morning."

Cal grinned, his flaming skull tattoo flashing brightly, "Sure thing, Bomber."

"Ladies, we're bunking in the house." The sighs of relief were palpable. "Which means... you men, have been banished to the bunk houses and tents. Sorry!" I grinned at the half-assed apology. "Anyway, I'd like for us to have fun and enjoy our time together. Thanks for listening." A round of cheers and clapping followed my little speech.

The male Core members stood as soon as I seated myself, perplexed as to what they had to say, I waited in silence. Evan held his hand up to silence the crowd. "The Core members of Rangeman would like to add a little something." He turned to me and gave me his lopsided grin. "We'd like to invite all of you to join us tomorrow morning for a morning run. Those of us at Rangeman, regularly run as part of our exercise routine, but thought it would be fun to add our friends and family as well. It's voluntary, of course..."

Les' head perked up, his lips ready to say something, when Tank's massive hand slapped him on the back of his head and growled, "Santos, for you it's mandatory." Les's face fell and he sported a pouty lip as he rubbed the back of his head, amid a sea of laughter.

"What time?" My father asked, shocking my mother.

"0500, Sir." Tank answered. "We typically run from the house to the front gate and back." He turned to me and winked, "Unless you're Babygirl. She does it twice." The looks of shock and disbelief on my family and friend's faces was priceless.

"What?" Lula scoffed. "You mean to tell me White Gurl here runs? At 5 in the morning?" Tank grinned and nodded. She seemed to think there was some type of catch. "Lemme guess, there's donuts waiting for her when she's done, right?"

"Nope. I do it sugar free most mornings." I grinned and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Well, wonders never cease!" my mother exclaimed.

"Mother!" I pouted. So I have a bad reputation when it comes to exercise. So sue me! "I found out I like running. So who's going to join us?"

Val looked as if I was asking her to cut off and arm or a leg. Connie just looked at me like I was crazy for even asking her to get up at such an ungodly hour. Lula was just stunned that I had asked her to exercise, and Mary Lou grinned. She raised her hand first. "Good. Mare, you're gonna love it." Soon after, a few other hands raised, including Booth and Dr. Brennan.

"I hope you'll let Bones and I join." Booth asked, brushing a stray lock of hair from his eyes.

"Always welcome." Ranger answered. "We'll have someone on standby with the quad for anyone who feels they have hit their limit. No need to push yourselves too far. It's just for fun." I grinned and couldn't wait to see who actually woke up that early to run with us. It would be very enlightening, very enlightening, indeed.

The rest of the night was calm and fun. After supper, the adults remained in the kitchen and chatted more, while the girls and Hal found a spot in front of the TV to watch cartoons. I wandered out of the room, to lean against the door frame watching them giggle and laugh at the silly characters. Evan slid his arms around my middle and rested his head on the top of my head. "You're right. He really is just like a kid." A wide grin nearly split my face in two and I nodded.

"Can we adopt him? He's just so cute and goofy." I asked, teasing Evan.

"I don't know. He's an awfully big responsibility. You have to walk him, feed him and clean up after him." He teased right back.

"Forget it then. There's no way I can afford to feed him. He's worse than me!" I replied with a laugh.

"Sorry, Angel. No one, beats you. You out eat us all, and still manage to look hot." I blushed and slugged him on the arm, gently mind you, his muscles are rock hard, and it hurts my hand if I hit too hard.

"Flatterer."

"Damn Skippy!' He chuckled as he nibbled on my ear. Mary Alice turned to see us and she made a gagging face.

"Ewww! Auntie Steph and Uncle Evan are being gross!" I looked down to see Angie and Mary Alice looking at us, totally disgusted, while Hal had a warm smile on his lips.

**A/N: Okay, so who figured out that the forensic pathologist and the FBI guy were from the show ****BONES****? I know, I know. I was a bit obvious. Anyway, I couldn't wait to include them into the story, I just love them. LOL!**

**I know, I haven't mentioned the stalker in a while, but he's ready to reappear. Do you have an idea of who it could be? Any idea of who it should be? Let me know. Leave me your guess in a review. I'd love to see who you think it is.**

**BTW: I do not own nor do I profit from the character from the hit TV show ****BONES.**** Although, I wouldn't mind being in the middle of a Ranger and Booth sandwich. *Hmmm... sounds dreamy!***


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Janet Evanovich's characters. Also, I do not own nor do I profit from the character from the TV show ****BONES****.**

Evan and rejoined the adults in the kitchen to enjoy the conversation and bonding time with our respected families. But, too soon, it was late and I found myself yawning and fighting to keep my eyes open. "Angel? You ready to head to bed?" Evan nudged my arm gently.

"Hmm? Yeah." I nodded and yawned once again.

Evan waited for a lull in Lula and Connie's conversation, before speaking. "Ladies. I believe that the bride is getting mighty sleepy. Do you think you might be able to help her to bed, since I'm banished outside?"

Lula took one look at me and grinned. "Damn White Gurl. You almost asleep here at the table." I sighed and rubbed my blurry eyes.

"Baby. You want to get some guys to help carry their stuff upstairs?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't have to carry anything. With how tired I was, I doubted I could have been any help.

"Already done, Babe." Ranger stated before dropping a kiss to my forehead. "Why don't you head to bed. We'll see you in the morning." I nodded and grabbed Mary Lou's hand leading her and the girls upstairs.

"Val, Angie and Mary Alice...you're going to stay in Justin's room. Second door on the right. Grandma and Mom, you're staying in Junior's room. Third door on the right. Lula, Connie, Mare and I will be in Evan's room. The bathroom is the last door on the right. If you need anything, just wake me up and I'll get it for you." I stated, rubbing my eyes once again.

"Stephanie?" My mother asked. "Honey, you need to get to bed. I'll help get everyone settled. Go change and get into bed." I nodded and padded into my room.

After changing, I crawled into the bed and sighed as I began to relax. "There's more than enough room for us all to lay on the bed if we lay the short way on the bed." I offered. "I doubt I could sleep if I were all by myself anyway."

Connie and Lula looked at each other before breaking out into massive grins. "Steph. I'm sorry, but if at any point in the night, you roll over and try to molest me, I'm going to slap you." Connie teased.

"Shit! I don't know? I might find that I like a little from her." Mare teased. I threw my pillow and groaned.

"Perv! You sound like Les." I mumbled.

We girls finished our bedtime routine, and all snuggled down into the bed, with Mary Lou and Connie sandwiched between Lula and I. We four, snuggled down under the covers and soon were fast asleep. Until... a blood curdling scream permeated the air, startling me awake as well as every member of the house. Lula slid off of the bed and onto the floor, with Connie and Mary Lou falling right on top in a heap.

"Giii oooff meee!" A muffled voice squeaked from under the pile of women. Mary Lou and Connie rolled off of Lula and she gasped for breath.

"What in the hell was that?" Connie asked, clutching her hands to her ample chest.

"I don't know? Sounds like it came from my mother's room. I hurried out the door with the girls right behind me. I could hear muffled shouts from inside her room and the sound of something being thrown against the wall. I cringed, God only knows what had her in a tizzy at this time of night.

The sound of feet pounding on the stairs alerted me to the presence of Evan and the guys, still clad only in sweatpants, boxers or in Les' case, a thong. Having completely forgotten the fact that someone had screamed, Lula, Connie, Mary Lou and I stared at Les in utter and complete fascination. Wow! Who knew he wore thongs? I always thought he went commando.

"Babe!" I jerked my head up and saw Ranger watching me with a not so amused look on his face, while Les was grinning from ear to ear.

"Shit! I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Uh huh. You sure did, Gurl." Lula stated still staring at the huge lump barely covered by the tiny scrap of silky black fabric.

"What the Sam Hill is going on?" Tank bellowed, gun at the ready.

"I don't know! All I know I heard a woman scream and then something was thrown against the wall. I think the scream came from my mother." I pointed to the door, nervous to see who was brave enough to open it.

My dad pushed his way to the front and knocked on the door. "Helen? It's Frank. Open the door."

A moment later, it opened to a extremely pissed Helen Plum. She screeched again, threw her hands up and turned to glare at me. "STEPHANIE MICHELLE PLUM! HOW COULD YOU?" I cringed and tried to think of what I could have possibly done to piss her off. But, I drew a blank.

"What?" I asked, miffed that I was woken up at 3 am by a ranting crazed mother.

"What do you mean, WHAT?" She pointed an accusatory finger in my face. "You know damn well what I mean Missy! I just realized what you told me tonight on the porch." I paled slightly, desperate to remember what I had said. I stopped and replayed my conversation with her in my head, word for word.

Later, when Evan retold the story to the guys who weren't witness to the chaos, he stated he could tell the very second when it dawned on me what had set her off. I turned a sickly shade of green, I began to shake, my eyes rolled back into my head and I fainted dead away, right into Bobby's arms.

The sickening smell of smelling salts made me jerk awake, I groaned, holding my head as the world around me lurched. "Ulk! What happened?" I groaned.

"Bomber. You need to stop passing out like that. I'm going to have you admitted to the hospital next time it happens."

"Angel? Are you okay?" Evan asked as he stroked my hand with his.

"I guess." I opened my eyes once again to find the entire house filled with almost every available man, woman and child staying at the ranch. "Shit! Am I in trouble?" I asked, cringing at the thought.

"Babe." Ranger chuckled and helped me to my feet. "It's not as bad as you think." I turned to see him pointing to my mother and Momma hugging each other.

"You told her?" Evan asked in a whisper.

"Shit! I didn't mean to." I whined, rubbing my hands over my face. "She mad at me still?"

"Beautiful, I think you better sit down and talk to her." Les led me over to the couch where Momma and my mother sat embracing each other.

"Mom?" I started to say, but was cut off.

"Oh, Honey." She rose to her feet and wrapped me in a massive hug. "I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner. Is this why you're getting married?"

"Helen. What do you expect her to say? Sorry Mom, I got knocked up?" Grandma retorted. "For the love of all that is holy! Helen, she and Evan decided to get married before she got pregnant. Don't be such a dunce."

"So, it's true?" Her eyes were teary and her bottom lip quivered.

I didn't want to answer. I didn't want all the attention on me. But apparently, God decided to have everyone focus their undivided attention on me and me alone. Trying to deflect the attention away from me, Evan stepped to my side and draped his arm over my shoulders.

"Pumpkin?" Daddy asked, a look of concern on his face. "Is it true?"

"Yes, Sir." Evan stated, staring straight into my father's eyes. "We are."

My mother sat down hard onto the couch and looked stunned. For only a moment. Then a slow grin spread across her face and the tears fell unchecked down her face. In that second, the only people who remained in the room were the members of the wedding party and the core team. "She's pregnant. She's actually pregnant." My mother chanted to herself quietly. Val sent the girls back upstairs to bed and wrapped her arms around me in a supportive hug.

"Steph. I'm so happy for you." She smiled and kissed my cheek. Dropping her arms back to her side, she followed the girls upstairs.

Evan pulled me into his lap as he sat in the recliner, the others seated themselves where they could. Most found spots in chairs or the couch, while a few found the floor just fine. "White Gurl. You mean to tell me you knew you was pregnant and you didn't tell us?" She looked a little hurt.

"Lula. I'm sorry, but we decided we were going to try to keep it on the down low until the wedding was over. Less to worry about." I tried to explain.

"I get that part." Connie interjected, still looking half asleep. "But, why didn't you tell us, and swear us to secrecy?"

"We thought it would cause a lot less drama if we waited. Fat lot of good that did us." Evan huffed out. I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you all. I just..." My words trailed off as I sighed yet again, unable to find the right words to explain.

"Babe. I think you better give them the short version." He glanced at his watch. "It's 0311, and we still have a run to do this morning." I nodded and shifted in Evans lap.

"I... we got pregnant right after my birthday. So I'm due June 23rd. We're happy and we really want to be parents." I grinned and Evan squeezed my hand in support.

"So, you're really pregnant?" My mother asked.

"Helen! For goodness sake! She's got a bun in the oven. She's as pregnant as she can get." My grandma exclaimed. "Now can we all go to bed? We can talk about this more in the morning over breakfast. Right now, I need my beauty sleep."

Under his breath, my father muttered, "There's not enough sleep in the world to make her beautiful." The guys quietly chuckled behind closed fists, having heard him crystal clear.

I reached out and hugged my mother, loving the fact that she had embraced the whole touchy feely thing, and returned my hug. "Honey. I'm so happy for you." She gushed.

"Thanks Mom. We're pretty happy ourselves." She released me and wrapped Evan up in a hug, patting his back as she spoke into his ear.

"I'm so happy for you, Evan. Congratulations."

"Thanks Mom." She grinned at him calling her 'Mom'. "Angel. I need you to get back into bed. You and Peanut need your sleep."

"You call the baby Peanut?" My father asked, rubbing my stomach lightly with his large hands.

"Uh huh. Just like Grandpa Mazur used to call me." I grinned and led him to the door. I paused to lay my head on his shoulder, his arms encircling my waist. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too, Pumpkin." He kissed the top of my head and allowed me to climb the stairs with the rest of the women following behind. "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Night All." I waved to the crowd of men below me, before climbing the stairs to the bedroom.

**A/N: I have to admit, I made a mistake in chapter 23. Deanna - AKA- Rampsangl, was the only one who in her review, notified me about my mistake. WTG girl! At least you were paying attention, because apparently I was not. Steph told her mom she was prego, and Steph and Evan had decided to wait until after the wedding to tell everyone. OOPS! I guess writing at 3 am, and living off of a few hours of sleep a night for a few days will make even the best person loopy. I completely forgot what I had wrote, and even had a friend proofread it. She didn't catch it either. So, instead of rewriting the chapter, I decided to 'man up' and writing it into the story as is. I based Helen Plum's reaction on the one I got from my mother the night she found out I was pregnant with my son. Let's just say it was an interesting night. LOL! **

**So, no one has left me a review telling me who they think the stalker is. I know who it is, do you? I know, I know. I should know who it is... I'm the writing the story. Sheesh. Please read and review, I'd like to hear who you think the big baddie is.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 26:**

**I do not own nor do I profit from Janet Evanovich's characters. Nor do i own nor profit from any of the character's from the TV show ****BONES****.**

Morning came way too soon and I found myself wrapped up in a all girl dog-pile on the bed. The alarm that I had set on my phone, rang for what seemed like days before I slapped at the nightstand to shut it off. The gentle feeling of lips pressed to the hollow of my throat had me smiling. That was until I realized that the lips belonged to Lula, the hand on my thigh was from Mary Lou and the hand on my left boob was from Connie. "Ugh! Get off me you pervs!" I wailed as I jumped off the bed. "Damn! You all thought _I _was the one who was going to molest _you_ in _your_ sleep. And look at you three! Molesting me!" I ran into the bathroom to change, as the girls groaned and tried to go back to sleep.

After slipping into my workout clothes. I turned on the bedroom light to see all three women had pulled the covers over their eyes and were back to sleep. Giggling, I grabbed the comforter and yanked, leaving the three exposed. I quickly ran into the bathroom and filled a cup with cold water from the tap. Dipping my fingers into the water and flicking it onto the girls, I managed to piss them off enough to wake up.

"God! What time is it?" Connie groaned. "If it's before 10 am, I'm going to kick your ass." A perfectly manicured nail tipped the finger she used to flip me the bird.

"Get up. You're all going running with me." I shoved Lula a little, garnering a moan. "Lula! Wake your ass up!" Nothing. Not even a wince. So, I changed tactics. "Tank is waiting outside for you." She flew off the bed and scrambled to her suitcase, looking for something to wear.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" She huffed and pulled out a slightly too small t-shirt adorned with a kitten and a pair of black yoga pants.

Mary Lou opened her eyes slightly to see me grinning at her like a fool. "You suck!" She pouted as she swung her feet off the bed and sat up. "It's too damn early to be up running. Are you all mental or something? I mean who gets up this early voluntarily?" She scratched her head and then her back before heading to her suitcase. "Are you sure you're the real Stephanie Plum? I've never heard of you getting up this early to run. And what's up with the running? You hate running." She shot me a questioning glance as she dressed in a sports bra, t-shirt and work out shorts.

"Hey, you raised your hand at supper last night. I didn't hold it up for you. You'll get a good look at all the man candy." I sing-songed the last sentence, it left a smile on her face. "Besides, I doubt Lenny will get up. He's too much of a couch potato." I teased, leaning against the wall waiting for the girls to get ready.

"Fine!" She huffed and dragged herself over to her suitcase to find something to wear.

Ten minutes later we walked out of the house to find the boys stretching. A quick look to my right found Dr. Brennan and Booth dressed in workout attire, already stretched and ready to go. Turning to the girls, "I think you better stretch your muscles, unless you want to hobble down the aisle with a pulled muscle." All three dropped to the grass and began stretching. Tank and Lester sauntered over to "help" the girls. Snickering, I found Evan and Ranger off to the left of us, watching and waiting.

"Angel. I see you managed to get the girls up. Where's your mother?"

"Forget it. I seriously doubt that she'd get up to run even if the Pope told her to." I joked as I stretched. "Now my dad on the other hand, he'll be out here. If he isn't already."

Ranger pointed behind me. "Babe, he was the first one out here, he's right next to Pop." I swiveled my head around until I saw them deep in conversation leaning against the barn. Shaking my head I grinned and finished my stretches in silence.

After ten minutes, Ranger called for everyone's attention. "Good Morning!" The chatter immediately stopped and all eyes focused on him. "We tend to run in a formation of four across and however many deep, but today, I'd like for my men to group up and run with members of the wedding party and friends. I know that some of you have either never run..." His gaze fell upon the girls. "And some of you, it may have been a while since you've ran." He glanced at my dad and Pop. "But remember this is for fun, so don't push yourselves too far or too fast." He gestured to the ATV, "Junior is manning the ATV, so if you feel you can't finish, or you are feeling like you've hit your wall, let one of my men know, and we'll assist you."

I glared at Ranger. How come he never gave me an out like this when he made me run? This is so not fair! I stuck my nose into the air and turned to Evan, burying my face into his chest.

"As for those who _enjoy_ their run..." Evan's chuckle clued me into the fact that Ranger had looked directly at me. "You may go ahead and join me for the normal run." I sighed and flexed my muscles to try and relax a little before I let my inner Ranger loose and ran. "Now, I'd like for the men to form groups of eight. Chose others who have similar running speeds." I watched the men scramble and form their groups.

Dragging the girls over to the group that had Bones, Tank and Woody, I offered a little advice. "If you talk to them when you run, they'll go slower for you." I winked at them and wandered off to find my running buddies. "Slick? Where are you?" I shouted, searching for him in the dark.

"Over here Bomber." I peered into the inky darkness to see a dark form waving their arms.

Weaving my way between the boys, I managed to get to him and snuggled up against his warm side. "Thanks. I don't think I could run with any of the slow people today. I need to run. I've got a lot of frustration and 'stuff' to get out." I used my fingers to give the word 'stuff' air quotes. Both Slick and Gomez laughed, while Flash and Chase looked at each other before looking back at me.

"You alright, Bomber?" Chase asked, "You still seem a little uptight over your Mom finding out about the baby."

"Yeah, well..." I shrugged as if to say 'what can I do'. "Me and my big mouth."

Before he could answer, Ranger nodded to Tank, who gave the order. "Move out!"

We started with a leisurely jog, I hadn't even began breathing hard yet, but both Lula and Connie were gasping for air. Mary Lou seemed to be doing alright. She ran track in high school and I figured she might take a while, but would eventually enjoy the runners high. I allowed Ranger to set the pace for a while. Okay, I lied. It was only 3 minutes, but it felt like forever! I jogged over to him and gave him a quick pouty face, sticking my lower lip out as far as I could get it to go. He chuckled and nodded to me. "Babe. Take your men with you."

I'm sure my grin glowed in the dark as I shouted over my back, "Slick, Chase, Gomez, Flash! Let's do this!" I surged ahead with my boys right behind me.

Although I was quick, I could still hear Lula ask Tank, "What she doin'?"

Tank's reply had me smiling. "She's letting loose. She'll catch up before we hit the halfway point."

Running helps to clear my head, and Lord knows, it needed to be cleared today. Between my mother, Peanut, the dead girl, Dr. Brennan and Booth, the stalker _and_ the wedding, I felt like I was being pulled in fifty million different directions. The farther I ran, the harder I pushed my body, the more tension and stress ebbed away. Before I even hit the gate, I felt a thousand times better about my situation. I gave the two guys guarding the front gate a quick finger wave and slapped the gate before turning around. By the time I hit the halfway point, I felt as if nothing could touch me. I was invincible. I was Wonder Woman!

The boys and I passed by Ranger, Bobby, Pop, my Dad (?) and a few of the quicker men just after the halfway point. I waved and kept on running. Passing more and more of the men and their charges made me smile. Connie and Mary Lou were still running/jogging with Bones and Woody, but Lula and Tank were noticeably absent. Connie shouted to me as I passed, "Lula and Tank went back. She puked!" The grimace on my face did little to quell the queasy feeling in my stomach. Suddenly feeling like I was going to hurl, I veered off the road slightly and bent over double.

Flash had his hands around my middle and Chase has his hands checking my pulse immediately. Before I could protest, I puked. Due to the fact I had nothing in my stomach, it was a quick affair. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and groaned. "I swear to God, if any of you tell Bobby what I just did, I'll call your mother and give her the low down on your latest secrets. I swear!" My glare had the guys all sweating bullets and they all held up their hands as if to say, 'I wouldn't do that in a million years'." Thankfully no one passed in that short period of time, and as far as I knew, it went unnoticed. I have to admit, talking about people puking, always made me queasy before. Now that I was pregnant, even the mere mention of someone puking, had me doing the very same. It sucked.

I picked up on my run, right where I left off and made it back to the house the same time Lula and Tank walked out of the house carrying cups of steaming coffee. I slowed to a walk, cooling down, before I attempted to rehydrate myself with water and juice. "Gurl! You never told me that I'd be getting sick from all this running." She accused me, after shaking her finger at me.

Tank shook his head gently, "Lula, Baby. You didn't even make it a half a mile."

She grinned and traced a finger down the center of his chest. "Yeah, but it was a long ass half mile." He grinned and nodded as if it were a normal thing for Lula to say.

Sitting on the porch swing after cooling down, Slick walked out of the house carrying two cups of coffee. My nose lifted into the air, enjoying the smell of the black elixir of the gods. Handing me one he grinned. "It's decaf, I checked with Bobby last night. You can have a cup."

"Thanks!" I grinned and greedily slurped down the formerly forbidden beverage. Evan's return found me relaxed, sipping the last of the decaf leaning against Gomez and Chase.

"Angel?" His gaze swept from the coffee cup to my face and back again. "Coffee?"

Giving a triumphant smile, I turned to Slick. "It's decaf. Right Slick?"

Slick nodded and answered, "Ram, Sir. It's decaf. I checked with Bobby last night to see if she could have it and he said so long as it was only a cup or two, it would be alright."

Evan relaxed and began his cool down. "Alright. I just don't want Peanut having ADHD later in life from all the coffee." He teased, his eyes dancing with laughter.

"Yeah, like I could handle a kid who acts like Les." I snorted into my coffee cup.

"HEY! I heard that!" Les bellowed from the side of the house. He appeared a moment later. "I don't have ADHD. I'm just high strung." He stated defensively, his well muscled arms crossed over his large chest.

"You're such a baby, Les." I chided and rolled my eyes.

We all settled on the porch and chatted for a while before I decided to ready myself for the day. Looking around I noticed that the rest of our group trickled back in. But two people were noticable absent. "Anyone seen Connie or Bones come back yet?"

Tank chuckled and shook his head. "Doubt they'll be back for a while yet, Babygirl. All he could talk about last night was Connie this... Connie that." Lula giggled and gave me a knowing look.

"Connie gonna try and get herself her own Merry Man."

Sure enough, two minutes later I could see both Connie and Bones walking back to the house, hand in hand, and a little disheveled. Grinning, I rose to my feet and made my way inside to take a shower and prep myself for the day.

With everyone clean and dressed we assembled in the kitchen for breakfast. Momma had pulled out all the stops and had made several types of quiches, ham, bacon and lots of fresh fruit. We filled our plates, said a quick grace and dug in. Evan and I were discretely playing footsie under the table, until my mother decided to open her mouth and speak.

"So, how long have you known you were pregnant?" All other talk at the table ceased, sole focus of everyone's attention was on me.

"Uh, a few days before Evan and I came here." I answered, popping a large piece of melon into my mouth, hoping it would give me some time to strategize my way out of having this conversation at the moment.

"So, you knew when you and Manny came to the house for lunch?" Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Uh, yeah." My fork repeatedly stabbed at a piece of apple sitting on my plate. I could feel her eyes boring into the top of my head.

"So, are you hoping for a girl or a boy?" Huh? Is she changing the subject? What the heck?

"We're hoping the baby is healthy. Whether Peanut is a girl or a boy doesn't matter." Evan to the rescue. I looked up and smiled, relieved he joined in this conversation.

"Babe. With your luck, it'll be a boy." I smiled and remembered my dream from the last time I was at the ranch. I was holding the little boy I called Bubba.

"I'll be happy either way." I replied, not wanting to give away any inkling of my suspicions.

"God Please! Let it be a boy!" My father prayed. "I can't stand being out numbered by women again." I giggled softly at my father's remark. "Having Evan and Albert around makes things a little easier, but having a grandson would top it all."

"Frank!" My mother whispered. "What if it's a girl?"

"I'll teach her to play baseball, to love football and teach her how to fix her own damn car!" He replied with a smirk. My mother paled at the thought and placed her hand over her heart.

"You can't be serious?" She asked a little shocked.

"Of course I'm serious. A girl has to know how to take care of herself these days. Even if she's going to have Uncles up the yin-yang."

"Here, here!" Bobby seconded it. "A girl has to know how to take care of herself. Look at Bomber, she's done exceptionally well for herself at Rangeman."

"Bobby!" I hissed and tried to duck down in my chair, embarrassed.

"No, Bomber. They should know." He turned back to my parents and grinned. "Stephanie participated with the men during the fitness evaluations a few months ago. I had anticipated her to be at a proficient level. But after her results came in I was shocked." My mother looked a little worried by Bobby's admission. "She not only met the levels I had set for her, she surpassed them, and then some. She blew my mind, as well as most of the men at Rangeman. She's become one cute little Bad Ass." I blushed at Bobby's praise, feeling the heat creep up over my face, knowing I was probably close to beet red.

"She kicked ass when we set up target practice the other day. She was hitting moving targets at over 1200. She matched herself against one of the other snipers and beat him. It was great!" Cal beamed, his smile brightened the room considerably.

"Look at the way she runs now. Of all the people I know, I never, in a million years would have said that Bomber would like running." Hal had to have his say. "Even though she had a rough start at Rangeman, she's grown into her own. I grinned at Hal, knowing what he meant be a rough start at Rangeman. I stunned him with his own stun gun when I was trying to get out of the building when I was on lock down for the first time. We all knew how that turned out.

"Guy, look... I'm just me. I'm the same Stephanie Plum now that I was then."

"You're wrong, Babygirl. You're not the same person. You're better. You're happier. You're more confident. And you're definitely a better shot." I grinned and nodded in agreement. "Besides, you don't freak out at the idea of a stalker like you did back then."

"Yeah, well... having tons of them over the last few years does kind of make me apathetic about them. But it doesn't make me any less scared. Like the guy who is driving me batty right now. I know there's a connection somewhere but I just can't find it right now." I scratched my head and frowned, my eyebrows knitted together. "I keep getting my spidey sense but nothing is making me flat out nervous."

"Whoa! I thought Hodgins was playing around about this whole spidey sense thing you have. Is it for real?" Booth asked curiously.

"Um... it's weird. I get this tingly feeling in the back of my neck and in my stomach. It's like I know something is off or isn't right. Like when I felt it before the guys found the body. I felt something was wrong and I just felt as if I needed to scan the area for something. That's when I saw the body from a distance." I shifted in my seat. "I get it too when I researching a skip. Sometimes when I'm reviewing the results I begin to piece things together and I get this weird feeling and I konw exactly where to pick the skip up." I glanced at Evan and Ranger before I added, "And when I do a distraction. I sometimes feel it when the take down is going to go wrong. I warn the guys before hand and that keeps them on the alert for abnormal behavior. It saves my life."

"Stephanie Plum! You mean to tell me you put yourself into positions where you could be hurt? On purpose?" My mother failed to understand the concept of what I do at Rangeman.

"Mrs. Plum. Sometimes, we get a skip that it particularly nasty. Either he's violent or a high flight risk, so Stephanie is sent in to distract him, lead him outside the location, and my men take him down." Ranger explained. "At no point in time, is Stephanie ever out of the sight of one of my men. We are all linked by a sophisticated communication system, including Stephanie. She wears a microphone, an earpiece, usually carries her pepper spray and a handgun in her purse. She is never left alone, and is never unprotected. Ever."

"How many of these has she done?" My father asked, his own blank face slamming down. OH SHIT! I think my dad is mad.

"Over one hundred, to date." Ranger answered matter of factly. "To be exact, she has participated in 103 distraction take downs. With a 99% success rate."

I whipped my head around and stared at Ranger, my mouth hanging open in shock. Had it really been that many? Crap. I remember why it wasn't 100%, all too well. I tried to pick up Simon Giddery, only problem was, apparently he was gay but hadn't told anyone. I may have not got the skip with my feminine wiles that night, but I did get the low down on a fabulous new shoe shop downtown. Hey, to me, it was good as gold..

"And how many of these distractions ended up with Darlin' being hurt?" Momma asked, miffed I was being used by the guys like bait.

"Sixteen." Bobby stated. "She received cuts and bruises mostly. But she's had broken ribs, a broken hand, a few cuts that required stitches, a few concussions, two black eyes, and she only got shot once." Bobby tried to add levity to the last bit.

"Shot? You've been shot by a skip person while doing this?" My mom asked.

"It was my fault." The look of shock by the guys at my admission of fault made me laugh. "Yeah, I did just admit to this one." I turned to face my mother. "I was the one not paying attention to my surroundings. I didn't have my handgun ready like I was supposed to, I had no pepper spray with me. I left my purse on the table of the restaurant. I went to use the restroom and he dragged me into the kitchen. I turned on him and he got really nasty. So I booked it out of the kitchen and back to the table. I pulled my gun and he grabbed it from me. It went off and it shot my in the shoulder." I tugged my shirt off of my shoulder to show the gouge on the top of my shoulder where it had just grazed me. "It was nothing. I had a couple of stitches and I was go to go. Bobby fixed me up." I pointed to Bobby and all eyes shifted back onto him.

"Robert! Wait until I call your mother! She's going to have a heart attack to know what kind of danger you put Darlin' in!" Momma chided him. He winced and glanced to ranger for help, but Ranger shook his head as if to tell Bobby he was on his own.

"Momma... please. We were just doing our jobs." I tried to explain, but nothing I said seemed to pacify my mother nor Momma.

I shoveled another piece of melon into my mouth trying to keep from dying from embarrassment. I figured if I ate, I wouldn't notice how upset I was. "Shorty? You okay over there?" Junior asked, concern covered his face. I nodded, yes, and kept eating, though I had long since lost my appetite. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" I rose to my feet and followed Junior out of the kitchen and onto the porch. I sank down into the porch swing and leaned my head back, basking in the silence.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Junior asked, assuming the same position I was in.

"Saving me. Keeping me from going completely insane, keeping me from killing my mother for being nosy, for knowing when I needed a break and giving me the opportunity to take one."

"I figured I was going to be the one to do it since both Evan and Les seemed to be interested in what your responses were and not how you responded."

"How'd you get so smart?" I asked, bumping shoulders with him.

"I've got this really great soon-to-be sister-in-law. She's taught me a lot about paying attention to others and their actions."

A weak smile played upon my lips, "Sounds like a pretty cool chick."

"She's the best. I love her to pieces." He wrapped his arm over my shoulder and we sat in silence listening to the birds sing.

Forty five minutes later Junior and I were joined by Booth and Dr. Brennan. 'Do you mind if we join you?" Dr. Brennan asked.

"Sure. Always room for friends." I responded, scooting over to make room for her to sit with Junior and I on the swing.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Booth teased when he noticed no more room on the swing.

"Booth. There are plenty of chairs. I'm sure with your back problems, you would be more comfortable in one of the hard backed chairs." Dr. Brennan stated, pointing to a chair next to her. I grinned, Booth just pouted.

"So... do you like working for the Jeffersonian?" I asked, still staring out at the prairie.

"It's quite satisfying." Dr. Brennan said, watching a small bird flit about the yard.

"It's always interesting when the squints try experiments." Booth chuckled.

"It's always informative when Dr. Hodgins and Zach attempt their experiments." She nodded. "Depending on the findings one of the two is usually named as alpha male of the laboratory." I frowned at her statement.

"King of the Lab." Booth explained. I laughed along with Junior.

"It is an extraordinary place to work. In a few weeks, I will be heading to Pulau Kauna Island in Indonesia to excavate and study the remains of the native people from that island. The indigenous people died out over a thousand years ago, but an archaeology group from the University of Java found the remains of a village and possibly human remains."

"Dr. Brennan... it must be wonderful to be able to go all over the world discovering new things about people and cultures. But, it's hard to believe that our dead body here in Montana was enough of a challenge for you."

"On the contrary, Steph. Both Booth and I have traveled all over working a case at home. As for this case, after examining the bones of the victim, that she was strangled first before she was shot by a small caliber gun to the base of the cranium."

"She was executed?" I was horrified, visions of the poor girl being choked to death before she was shot made me sick inside.

"Yes." Dr. Brennan affirmed. She pointed to the base of her own skull. "Three rounds entered approximately here, no exit wounds leads me to the conclusion that a low caliber weapon was used. The size of the entry holes make the caliber approximately a .22 ."

"The rounds recovered from the skull indicate that it was a .22." Booth added, noticing my discomfort. Changing the subject seemed the right thing to do, he cut off what Dr. Brennan was about to say. "So, I guess you are having a big shin-dig huh?"

"Yeah." I grinned. "Last check was two hundred and eighty guests, forty three Rangemen assigned to security details, the wedding party and you two." Dr. Brennan suddenly seemed a little apprehensive.

"Steph, you don't need to invite us..." She started to say, but I cut her off.

"Of course you're coming. You're friends with us all now, and I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun. Besides, with all the eligible single Rangemen, I doubt your dance card will remain empty for less than two seconds."

She nodded and smiled. "I'd like to come. It would be a very enjoyable experience." Booth rolled his eyes.

"Bones. It's a wedding for God's sake. You're supposed to have fun."

"Booth. Personally I see no need to participate in the ritualistic rites of binding two people together for myself, but if Steph and Evan feel that they need to participate then so be it. It's a personal choice. Besides, I haven't danced in several months and I would like to."

"Bones." Booth groaned and patted her hand.

"So, do you have a dress?" I asked Dr. Brennan, eying her for the woman she truly was and not just as the doctor of forensic pathology. She was tall and trim, her nice curves could be accentuated by a flowing dress. "If you don't I think I have something you could borrow that would fit you perfectly."

She nodded and we chatted for a few more minutes before we were interrupted by the core team joining us on the porch.

**A/N: Okay, I'm posting this tonight because I've had a few people request it today instead of tomorrow. It was necessary for this chapter to happen to set up what is going to happen in the next 5+ chapters, so please forgive me for the seemingly mindless drivel. It all ties-in in the end, I promise!**

_**Please read and review! I love to read your thoughts. Make me a happy girl. Leave me a review.**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 27:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stephanie or her friends. Although, I'd love for Janet to lend me Ranger and the Merry Men for a few days for a... *ahem*... visit. I don't own Dr. Brennan or Booth either. Hey, maybe I can convince Booth to come visit with Ranger and the guys... Hmmmm? Oh yeah, I'm not making anything off of them either.**

**A/N: RL has been a real witch to me this last week. Working 50+ hours at the Post Office in a supposedly slow time of year is not fun. Are they trying to break me or something? Sheesh! Anyway, when I was delivering, I was working this next chapter out in my head. It was kinda of fun explaining to one of my customers why I was talking to myself in the truck the last few days. LOL. I told her about FF and now she's hooked. Payback for all the packages she makes me deliver. Ha ha ha! Hopefully this chapter comes out as good as I had it in my head. Enjoy.**

"Babygirl? You going with Silvio to pick up Ella and Louis?" Tank asked, cracking his knuckles in a nervous gesture.

"Sure. Why? Aren't you going?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

"Uh... Ram's got a few things for us to do while you're gone." Translation: Evan has planned a few things he'd rather you not know about.

"Uh huh." I rolled my eyes, "So, who's staying and who's going?"

"Santos, Silvio, Wolf, Lester, Manny, Chase, Junior, Leif, Binkie and Hector are going with you as your security detail, plus drivers. The rest of us are staying here." He explained with a cheesy grin.

"So, that means you all are going to be working on Evan's secret project?" I asked as I picked at the remaining polish on my nails.

"Uh..." Tank was stalling trying to find the right words.

"Angel. I can't tell you what it is, not yet anyway." Evan knelt down at my feet. "Angel?"

I looked up from my fingers to see his gorgeous green eyes staring back at me. "What?" I asked in a weak voice.

"Look. I need you to go get Ella and Louis. They're bringing the last of your things. Plus Scratch and Kelly will be with them. I know how much you like Kelly."

I nodded. I loved Kelly. She was the cutest Black Labrador I had ever seen, besides she loved Tasty Kakes too. Last time I saw her, Scratch allowed me to take her for the afternoon. When on a visit to the bonds office, Vinnie came out for a quick word with me. His eyes widened at the sight of Kelly and he licked his lips. I think Kelly could sense what kind of a monster Vinnie was and she proceeded to walk over to him, squat and drop a deuce right on his shoes. I thought the girls and I were going to die from laughing so hard. Gotta love that dog!

"I guess." I huffed out a forced breath. I hated being left out of the loop on things.

"Please?" SHIT! I hated when he did that.

"Fine." I rose to my feet and asked Booth, "You and Dr. Brennan going out to the crime scene?"

"Yup. Bear and a few of the men are taking us there at 0900." I glanced down at my watch and nodded.

"Be careful. I know you'll have the guys with you and all, but I've got a bad feeling about it." I turned to Ranger. "Make sure they're safe."

"Babe." He gave me his normal one word answer and gave me his almost smile.

"Don't worry, Steph. I will keep an eye on Booth. He does tend to get into trouble if someone isn't watching over him constantly." She grinned and Booth's jaw dropped. The sound of my giggle faded as I walked into the house to get ready to pick up Ella and crew.

Thirty minutes later the girls and I had loaded up into the second SUV in the line of eight, ready to ride back to the airport. "Gurl, you ready for tonight?" Lula asked. Today she was conservatively dressed in tight ass black capri jeans, a red tank top over an 1980's style t-shirt emblazoned with a picture of the 'Material Girl', spiky 4 inch red stilettos and her normal colored hair pulled into a high on the head off center ponytail. I swear she was an ad for 1980's fashion. Connie and Mary Lou were both dressed in jeans, button up blouses and tennies. Of course I was dressed in my normal bad ass black Rangeman uniform.

"Yeah. I guess. I just hope Les hasn't gone overboard." I noticed the sympathetic look Silvio gave me in the rear view mirror.

"Bomber. You'll be fine." He reassured me, but it didn't seem to be working.

I laid my head back and closed my eyes. "I'm just going to take a quick nap. Who knows how late Les is going to keep us up." The girls nodded and we all settled down to catch a few Zzz's. The next thing I knew we were pulling up to the staging area at the airport waiting for the jet to land. I stretched, yawning and slapped Connie on the head in the process.

"Hey! Watch it!" She grumbled.

"Sorry." I turned to a snoring Lula and a drooling Mary Lou. "HEY! Wake up!" I leaned over and poked the girls. Nothing. Hmm. I've got and idea. "Lula, wake up Tank is waiting for you." Her eyes shot open and she stumbled out of the SUV looking for her Tankie.

"Huh? What? I don't see him? Where he at?" She rubbed her still sleepy eyes. "Wait... he's not here. Gurl, you mean. You real mean." I just smiled sweetly and poked Mare again.

"Mary Lou, you forgot to do you Algebra homework! Get up! Mr. Derringer is going to throw a fit. You'll get detention for sure!" Her eyes flew open and she looked frantic.

"My Algebra! Now I'll never pass this class!" I giggled as did Lula and Connie. Mare glanced around and realized that she was well past being in high school. "Steph! So not funny! You know I still have nightmares about Mr. Derringers class!"

"Yeah? Well, it got you up, didn't it?"

"Bitch." Mare groused, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "When are they getting here?"

I turned to find Silvio on the phone, he held up a finger to indicate he would talk to me in a second. I waited patiently while he finished his call. "Ladies. ETA on the jet is still a good 17 minutes. If you'd like I can have one of the guys get you some coffee." He turned to me, "And in your case, some juice?"

"Sure." Silvio nodded and one of the guys from Miami jogged off to procure some much needed coffee and juice.

Seventeen minutes later we watched the jet land and it's occupants disembark. Ella appeared at the top of the stairs and like the fairy god mother she was, she glided down them like a dream. "Ella!" I shouted and ran into her outstretched arms.

"Steph! I missed you." She kissed the top of my head and hugged me tighter. I pulled back long enough to look into her face and pulled her close for another hug.

I could hear Les mutter under his breath, "What I wouldn't give to be greeted like that by her." I grinned and switched to give Louis a big hug and kiss as well. The girls all waited before greeting Ella and Louis with polite hugs. Les and the guys shook Louis's hand and kissed Ella on the cheek.

I heard a loud bark from the plane and soon saw Kelly come bounding down the stairs. "KELLY!" She bounced around until she spotted me kneeling down to the ground and launched herself into my arms. Her wet kisses and wagging tail told me she was more than happy to see me. Scratch sauntered over to us holding Kelly's traveling supplies.

"Hey, Steph." He pulled me into a massive hug. "How you been keeping yourself these days?"

"Oh, pretty good. I have big news for you, Buddy Boy." I kissed his cheek.

He blushed and glanced around looking to see who was watching. "Big news?"

"You're going to be an uncle! I'm pregnant!" I watched Scratch wobble in place for a second before he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"Scratch? Silvio! Scratch is down. We need smelling salts STAT!" In under twenty seconds Lester handed me a small pack of the offending said smelling salts. I cracked them open and wafted them under Scratch's nose. Kelly was pacing next to us whining and watching us carefully. I reached out and scratched under her chin. "It's okay girl."

Scratch's eyes fluttered open and he uttered a low groan. "Uhg! What happened?" He rubbed the back of his head with his hand before reaching out for Kelly, who was barking incessantly. "Come 'ere girl." She jumped into his lap and licked his face.

"I guess becoming an uncle was kind of a shock?" I asked, trailing my fingers down his arm in a comforting gesture.

He rolled to his side and grabbed me into a massive hug. "I'm so happy for you Steph." I could tell he was still shocked. "How?"

I gave him a sly smile and began, "When a man and a woman really love each other..."

"NO! Smart Ass! Why didn't I hear about it earlier?" He sighed.

"We wanted to keep it on the down low, so 'The Berg' didn't catch wind of it."

He frowned and growled. "Got 'cha." He raised himself to his feet and we walked to the SUV's. Ella checked over Scratch to make sure he was fine as the rest of the guys loaded the SUV's with the last of their things.

Satisfied that all was ready, Silvio nodded to Les. "Ladies and Gentlemen. We're ready." He gestured to the SUV's. The girls and I resumed our previous positions in Silvio's SUV while Lester replaced Leif.

"So, Les? What's the plan for tonight?" I asked, curious as to what he had planned.

"Guess I have to finally tell you, huh?" He teased.

"Hell ya!" Lula chimed in.

"Well, I planned on having a complete spa night, bringing in ladies from one of the salons in Broadus. But because the background checks didn't pan out, you're going to get an all inclusive Rangeman Spa treatment."

"Rangeman Spa treatment?" Connie asked, shooting Les a led than thrilled look.

"Yup. I lined up a bunch of the guys who are more than willing to treat you ladies to a night of pampering." At my look of worry, he added. "Don't worry. Hector is going to be the one to set everything up." I relaxed knowing that Hector was more than capable of managing to pamper us.

"Okay, if you say so." I agreed, much to the girls's dismay.

"You sure, Steph?" Mare asked.

"Yeah. Hector may look scary with all his tattoos, but he's a real pussy cat. I trust him, he's great."

The ride back to the ranch was pretty quiet until we were about ten miles from the front gate for the ranch. I was turned to Connie, we were chatting about nail colors when our SUV came to a screeching halt. I was thrown back into my seat with a stream of curses coming from the front seat. "What the FUCK?" I heard Les shout.

Leaning forward in my seat I watched the men in the first SUV exit their vehicle and walk around to the front out of sight. "Les? What's going on?"

"Get down!" He reached back and shoved me down in my seat. I complied as did the girls. After a few minutes of staying low in our seats, one of the guys from the first SUV came back to us and in a low voice reported to Silvio what had stopped us. Immediately, Silvio got on his radio and called the ranch.

"B1 to Base. B1 to Base."

A few tense seconds later, a squelchy voice returned. "This is Base. Go ahead B1"

"We're stopped about 10 miles out. We've got a problem. Seems someone left Bomber a message on the fence line. I'm leaving six men and three SUV's. ETA 7 minutes."

"Rodger that. ETA 7 minutes."

"B1 out."

"Copy that. Base out."

Silvio turned to us and warned us. "You do not want to see this. It's best if you just close your eyes until we're past. Stay low." We nodded silently and squeezed our eyes shut tightly.

I felt the SUV come to life and gun it. After a few moments, Lester called out, "You can open your eyes, Ladies. All clear."

With tears threatening to fall, I whispered to Les. "Was it bad?" Les solomnley nodded.

"Beautiful. You really didn't need to see that."

"Oh, okay."

Connie leaned over and wrapped her arms around me. "It'll be okay Steph. Ranger and the guys will figure this out." I laid my head in her lap and cried silently to myself.

As we pulled up to the house Momma ran out and ushered myself, the girls, Ella and Louis into the house. "Come on in. I just made some fresh lemonade."

Les led us into the kitchen where he seated me in my usual chair. Setting a glass of ice cold lemonade in front of me, I watched Lester give Momma a worried look. "Darlin' you feeling okay?"

"Tired. Scared. Pissed." I dropped my head into my hands. "Why does this always happen to me?" As soon as I uttered those words I heard my mother.

"Where is my daughter?" She rushed into the kitchen, my grandmother following close on her heels. "Stephanie? Are you alright?" She wrapped me in a massive hug and I broke down into tears. Lula and Mare tried to explain what had happened, but we all had obeyed Lester and Silvio and kept our eyes closed. Or so I thought.

"It was some kind of animal all cut up and hung on the fence. It wasn't pretty either. It was still all bloody. There was a sign hanging next to it saying, 'Bang Bang she's dead. Next time this will be her'." I turned to look at Lula with my jaw hanging open and eyes teary.

"Shit!" I turned to Lester. "Is she right?" He slowly nodded his head and I dropped my head back onto my mother's shoulder and cried once again.

"Shh. It's alright Sweetheart. Evan and Ranger will get this bad man." Grandma rubbed my back and smoothed my hair as I cried.

The sound of trucks coming to a screeching halt in the yard made no difference to me. I was on a roll and I wasn't about to stop. "ANGEL?"

"Evan!" I shouted back, he raced into the kitchen coming to a sliding stop next to me. My mother disengaged herself from me and allowed Evan to wrap his arms around me. I began to sob all over again. Lester pulled Ranger and the guys aside to report what had happened. I could hear the guys growl and I snuggled my face into Evan's warm chest as my crying ebbed away slowly.

"Angel. Are you alright?" He used a crooked finger to raise my chin. Looking into my teary eyes I sighed and nodded.

"I'm just scared. What is this guy going to do next?"

"Nothing, Angel. We'll get him."

A call was placed to Bear who was still at the crime scene with Dr. Brennan and Booth. Stating they would meet them there, Ranger and a small army of Rangemen left to deal with the blowout from the gift left on the fence. Ella gathered all the women in the family room, along with Evan, Junior, Justin, Lester, my father, Pop and a small group of Rangemen. "I wanted to call a meeting for those of you who have no clue as to what a cleaning party is."

"I'm not liking the sound of this." Lula commented, her face wrinkled in displeasure.

"It's not that bad Lula, Dear." Ella reassured. "It really honestly is just a quick and easy way to spruce up the place so Momma doesn't have to do everything herself." I looked to Momma who was giving a thankful smile.

Sitting on Evan's lap, I turned to look at him. "Are you helping Baby?"

"Yeah. Momma ordered us all to help." He indicated to all the men in the room. "Don't worry. We'll be with you the whole time."

"So, basically we're just giving the house a once over, the bunk houses a quick cleaning, and then the remainder of the time will be spent sprucing up the outside of the house and barn."

"Evan, Dear. We'll need you men to move the last of the wood pile back by the helo pad, the picnic tables need to be over by the garden and I'll need a couple of men to power wash the upper level of the house." Momma ordered.

"Yes, Momma."

"Ladies, you'll want to change into something you won't mind getting ruined." I watched both Connie and Lula cringe. But they both nodded and sighed in acceptance. "We'll start upstairs and work our way down. Then we'll head over to the bunk houses. They shouldn't take too long. The men have been very helpful in cleaning up after themselves." I grinned knowing that Ranger probably made the men stay up late last night cleaning up.

The next few hours were spent toiling away to make the house ready for the wedding. Just as we broke for a quick lunch, Ranger and the guys returned, grim looks to their faces.

"Ranger?" I pulled him aside just before he entered the kitchen. "Can I talk to you?" He nodded and led me to the parlor and closed the door behind us. "How bad is it?"

His almost sigh led me to believe that it wasn't good at all. "Babe."

"Don't you Babe me. Tell me what is going on." I stomped my foot and pointed a finger into his face. "Tell me right now, or I tell Ella you're holding out on me." He frowned and shook his head.

"Babe. That's cold."

"Do I need to?" I asked, hand on my hip.

"No, Babe. It's bad. A steer was butchered right next to where it was hung on the fence. The sign has no prints and no distinct characteristics to the writing. Dr. Brennan examined the carcass and stated that it was dissected by an expert in bovine anatomy. Bear and I both think the stalker knows how to butcher. Either he has been trained professionally or he learned out of necessity."

Blinking back tears of frustration, I leaned into Ranger's comforting hug. "So we're looking for a globe trotting butcher who's a firearm fanatic?"

"Babe." I could feel Ranger's chest rise and fall with his chuckle. "It could be worse."

"Carlos?" My lip quivered and I broke down into tears once again.

"Quierda. I promise you, I'll protect you with my life. No one will harm you." I nodded while my tears soaked into the fabric of his shirt. I vaguely remember being lifted into his arms and carried to the sofa. I was placed into his lap and allowed to cry myself out. I guess, I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, I awoke still in Ranger's arms much later in the day.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." I apologized, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's alright Babe. I like to watch you sleep. It calms me."

"Evan?" I asked.

"He checked in on us 30 minutes ago. Said to keep you safe." I smiled as Ranger helped me to my feet. "Hungry?" Before I could answer, my stomach growled loudly, drawing a light laugh from Ranger. "Let's feed the beast."

We dined on whole wheat turkey sandwiches, apple slices and lemonade. Afterwards Ranger placed a slice of Momma's cherry pie in front of me and I groaned as I took my first bite. "Babe. You're killing me here." He shifted slightly in his seat, readjusting himself as I chuckled.

"Sorry."

"Babe."

Ella found us in the kitchen finishing our dishes, "Stephanie, Dear. I know we still have a little while before dinner, but I was hoping I could get you to try on your dress now."

"Sure." Under Ranger's watchful eye, I smiled and followed her up the stairs to my room.

**A/N: I'd love for you to read and review. Thanks!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 28:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Stephanie and friends, or Bones, Booth and their friends.**

**A/N: Surprise! Surprise! I'm posting two chapters in one night. What brought this on you ask? Well, a whole day subjected to a whiney and irritating hubby made me retreat to the wonderful world of Stephanie Plum. Sometimes, I thank God for a bitchy husband. LOL!**

Laid out on the bed was an over sized garment bag and a medium sized suitcase. Ella walked over and opened the case to reveal all kinds of items needed for fixing my dress. "Wow. I had no idea you traveled with a whole tailor's shop in your bag." I teased as I changed into my undergarments.

"It's just my travel bag, Dear. Most of my things are still at home." I stared at her wide eyed. "Bunny is lending me the use of her sewing machine."

She slowly unzipped the garment bag revealing my one of a kind dress. The strapless gown was crafted of an ivory satin. The bodice was cut in a sweetheart design, a vine pattern in Swarvoski crystals trailed from the lower right side at the waist to curl around under my left arm. The waistline was encircled in the same crystals, in effect making my waist seem even smaller. The skirt portion flowed to the floor, sleek and unadorned except for a thin band of crystals encircling the edge of the hem.

I sighed, in utter and complete heaven at the sight of my gorgeous gown. I slipped it on and stepped up onto the small stool Ella indicated for me to stand on. I glanced into the mirror across the room and nearly cried. "Oh, Ella. It's more than I could have even imagined. It's beautiful!" Tears sprang from her eyes as she adjusted here and there, until she was satisfied it fit the way it should.

"You look like an angel, Hija." (daughter)

"Gracias Mami. I feel like one." (mommy)

"Let's get you out of this and put away, I have to have the girls try on their dresses one last time."

"Yes, Mami." We carefully packed the dress away in it's bag and hung it in the closet, away from prying eyes. Walking back downstairs, I gathered up all the girls and headed back to my room. The next two hours were spent checking and double checking the dresses and thankfully nothing needed altering. Both Mary Alice and Angie looked so sweet in their little flower girl dresses. Lula, Connie and Mare looked absolutely beautiful in their matching dresses. Momma, my mother and Grandma showed off their dresses and I had to giggle. Both Momma and my mother cringed at the mere mention of Grandma's dress, until she walked out in a shimmering number that covered her from neck to toes. The pale orange color was enhanced by a slightly darker orange bolero jacket. It suited Grandma just fine and thankfully, it did not make her look like a wrinkled pumpkin.

Noticing that our early supper time was nearing, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask Momma, "What are we going to do for supper, Momma?"

She patted my hand in a comforting gesture. "Not to worry. The boys are handling it for me, Darlin'."

I rolled my eyes and snickered, "Are we eating macaroni and cheese with hotdogs?" The peels of feminine laughter carried down the stairway and into the kitchen where several of my boys were hard at work preparing our supper.

Hearing the supper bell, the girls and I finished up with the dresses and hung them in the closet. We made our way downstairs our noses in the air taking in the delicious smells. I think I moaned because both Mary Alice and Angie were giggling and rolling their eyes at me. "What?"

"Aunt Stephy. You're so weird!" Angie giggled.

We found ourselves surrounded by the wonderful smells of a pot roast dinner. My mother smiled and patted Cal and Hal on the backs as they beamed. We found our seats and enjoyed ourselves a fine supper, courtesy of Hal, Cal, and about a half dozen other Rangemen. Sitting back in me chair sipping my lemonade, I watched my family and friends chatting and laughing. A warm fuzzy feeling enveloped me and I wanted to cry.

Capturing a rogue tear with his fingertip, Evan leaned in to whisper into my ear. "Are you alright Angel?" Turning to face him I smiled and placed a slow and heated kiss to his lips.

"I'm just really, really happy." He nodded and pulled me into his lap to enjoy our family together.

Resting my head on his muscular shoulder, we listened to the girls gossip about the latest happenings of 'The Berg', filling us in on what had happened in the time Evan and I had been in Montana.

Apparently, Joyce Barnyard, was hoping to reconnect with an old boyfriend who had just struck it rich. She pulled out all the stops and was trying to reel him in as her latest catch. Only one problem. I guess, after they broke up the last time, he figured that women were too much trouble and switched teams, if you know what I mean. She finally gave up when she caught him kissing another man at a club, the next day she announced to everyone she didn't want him in the first place. He came out the day after that saying that he and the other man were getting married. Ha! Take that psycho bitch from hell! She turned the poor man gay!

They went on to mention a few ladies who were expecting, engaged or divorcing. Nobody mentioned surprised me, they were 'Berg' through and through, having 2.5 kids, the dog, the husband, the house. It seemed to fit for them, thankfully not for me. I was more than happy with my unconventional family of the Plums, the Ramseys, my friends and my boys. Who could ask for anything more?

Standing at the table, Les cleared his throat and indicated he wanted our attention. "Ladies. I would now like to escort you outside to be pampered for the evening." He held out his arm to my mother and she blushed. Taking his arm he led her out of the room. Soon, more Rangemen appeared and one by one led the women out of the kitchen and outside. Evan rose to his feet and held out his arm to me.

"Madam."

"Sir." Kissing my cheek he led me outside to a tent I had not noticed previously. It was as large as the tent that was being used by Dr. Brennan as her makeshift lab. Shrugging, I allowed Evan to lead me inside.

I don't think I could have been more shocked than I was at that moment. Soft light was washing up the sides of the tent where pot lights had been placed facing up, multiple easy chairs were placed around in a circle with small stools grouped to one side. Several massage tables were lined up along one side of the tent, a large claw foot tub was off to another side, a jerry-rigged emergency wash station had been transformed into a rinse station next to the tub, as well as small tables and multiple chairs set up with a huge assortment of nail polishes. As with the other ladies, my mouth hung open and I think I forgot how to breath.

The only woman present who was able to speak was Dr. Brennan. "This is exactly like a spa. I've never been to one." I began to giggle, then Mare joined me. Next thing I knew all ten women and girls were laughing and tearing up. Both Evan and Les looked at each other as if we had lost our minds.

"Angel? What's so funny?" He asked, holding me back slightly to look into my teary eyes.

"It's... just... never thought... my boys... could get in... touch with... feminine side."

"You're just a barrel of laughs, Angel. I'm going to leave you ladies in peace. Enjoy." Looking deeply into my eyes he whispered into my ear "Angel, I'll be waiting for you tonight before I go to bed. I'll meet you on the front porch." I nodded and he finished by saying, "I love you Angel." He kissed me so deeply, I pretty sure I forgot what my name was. When he walked out of the tent, the girls all gave a collective sigh.

"Damn Steph! You're one lucky Bitch." Connie whispered.

"You have no idea." I grinned and turned to Lester. "Let's get this show on the road."

Les signaled to several Rangemen who were dressed in white t-shirts and jeans to seat us. I found myself seated in one of the easy chairs and a glass of sparkling apple juice placed into my hand. I glanced up to see Hector smiling. "Estephania. Zumo de manzana. Nada de alcohol para usted." (Apple Juice. No alcohol for you.)

"Gracias Hector." I sipped it and relaxed for a few minutes before Les reentered the tent.

"Ladies." He gestured to a table piled high with wrapped packages. He picked up the first one and handed it to me. "Beautiful, this is yours. There is a changing tent just out the front of the tent and to the right." I nodded, set my glass down on the little side table and carried my bundle out the tent. Opening the package, I found a black plush robe, a black sports bra in my size, a pair of black yoga pants, a pair of black flip flops, and wonder of wonders a _black_ hair tie. The only saving grace was that they all had the words FUTURE MRS. RAM stitched onto them in a bright pink. I giggled and dressed quickly. Walking back into the tent I found most everybody dressed and enjoying their beverages.

I laughed to see Momma sporting a robe emblazoned with MOTG on the front. My mother had MOTB, while Grandma had GOTB. Val, Lula and Connie had BRIDE'S MAID, and Angie and MA had FLOWER GIRL. Dr. Brennan was stunned to find her robe emblazoned with the name BONES on it. I giggled and leaned over to her and whispered, "Les must have talked to Booth." She nodded and grinned brightly.

Before I could speak again, I turned to find Les standing next to me wearing a huge grin and a t-shirt that read: MY BEST FRIEND MADE ME MAN OF HONOR. I almost dropped my glass of apple juice as I laughed. "Les, you're a trip."

"I knew you'd like it." He beamed and grabbed a glass of champagne for himself. "Ladies, we have massages, facials, body wraps, mani's, pedi's, a volcanic mud bath, as well as someone who is practiced in the art of waxing." I think my eyebrows meshed with my hairline when he mentioned the waxing bit.

"Waxing? Who the hell knows how to wax?" I asked confused.

"Hector." I groaned and turned my head to watch a slow grin spread across his face. The looks of uncertainty made Lester add, "Don't worry. He has no interest in the female gender." I watched as my mother and Val relaxed slightly. Both MA and Angie were oblivious to what was being said and were too involved in the goody bags Les had for them.

Holding up a huge coloring book of horses, MA glowed. "Look Aunt Stephy. We got crayons and stickers and pretty hair things too." Angie held up a huge assortment of hair accessories and temporary tattoos of hearts, flowers and unicorns.

"That's great girls. Can I have a tattoo of a unicorn later?"

MA nodded and showed me one she had already picked out. "You can have this one. It has blonde hair like Evan. And look! It even has green eyes like him too." I grinned and nodded.

After finishing my glass of apple juice, I opted for a relaxing massage. Dropping my robe onto the end of the massage table I found one of Miami's newer Rangemen, Tanner, gathering his supplies. "Hey, Tanner. I didn't know you knew massage." I teased as I lowered myself onto the table.

"Bomber. My sister has a spa in Desert Palms, California. I grew up helping out and picked up massage as a hobby." He began working the muscles of my neck, kneading and manipulating them into subtle submission. I instantly began to feel like putty in his hands and I know I moaned quite loudly. My sister giggled and elbowed Connie who shook her head.

The zen music softly playing in the background made for a more than relaxing experience. I nearly fell asleep by the time Tanner was finished and I think I will never leave Miami again without asking Tanner for a quick massage fix. Leaving him to work on Lula, I wandered over to the pedicure chairs and was joined by Les. We sat side by side and I was amazed that there were so many Rangemen who had hidden talents centered around spa treatments. "This is great Les. I'm so glad you planned this. It's like a little slice of heaven."

He gave me his trademark lopsided grin and patted me on the knee. "I know Beautiful. I had to make sure you were taken care of. I love you too much to give you a half-assed effort."

"Awww!" The girls all purred, even my mother. Huh! Who knew?

"Stephanie. Are you going to get a pedi done?" My mom asked as she seated herself on the opposite side of Les. I nodded. "Lester, Dear? Are you?"

He seemed a little taken back by her question but shrugged and said, "Why not?"

Hector chuckled as he placed two large vats of water at our feet. Slipping my toes into the warm sudsy water made me sigh, as did Les. "What? You've never had one of these done before?" A gentle shaking of his head indicated that he had not. "Just wait until it's done. You'll feel like a million bucks."

Forty five minutes later I had beautiful french manicured toes, while Les had clear polished toes. The relaxed look on his face was all I needed to know he had enjoyed it immensely. We switched to the manicure tables and chatted for a while about this and that until we all fell into a comfortable silence. I was waiting on the final top coat of my french manicure to dry when through the tent wall I could hear two people talking in a hushed tone. I indicated for Hector to turn down the music as I strained to hear the conversation.

"We can't be... but I'll get yelled at." A female voice was heard.

"Come on Baby. It'll only take a few minutes." A masculine voice countered.

"I guess. All the other girls are preoccupied right now anyway." She giggled and a loud sigh could be heard. I glanced around the tent and noticed that Connie was missing. Grinning from ear to ear I whispered, "It's Connie and Bones."

Dr. Brennan sat up from the mud bath and quite loudly stated. "No it's not. I'm right here." I shushed her and pointed to the tent wall.

More whispers, moans and light laughter was heard before nothing but silence. "Shit! Was the music always that low?" Connie asked Bones.

"I don't think so. Are they on to us?" He asked.

"God, I hope not!"

I couldn't take it anymore, I nudged Les and winked. "OH! BONES! YES! YES!"

Les grinned and answered in his gruff voice, "OH CONNIE! YES! YES!"

The girls were doubled over in silent laughter when we heard, "SHIT! They're onto us. I'll see you later, Baby."

Connie came storming into the tent not more than five seconds later, beet red and fuming. "You bitch!" She sat on one of the pedicure chairs, crossed her legs and her arms, and pouted.

"Aww. Connie, it's not so bad. Bones it really cute and I bet if you treat him right he'll even take you out on his boat when the weather turns nice." She huffed out and rolled her eyes.

I leaned in close and asked, "So? Spill it! How is it?" Forgetting she was mad at us in the first place, she squealed and proceeded to tell us all about what a wonderful kisser Bones was and she could barely remember her name.

The rest of the evening was spent gossiping and sharing funny stories. At 2000, Val forced the girls to bed and returned after she had tucked them in. Hal had volunteered to sit guard in the hallway in case they needed anything, sitting in comfort reading some of Evan's old comic books.

Les started telling us stories about the big mishaps of some of my Merry Men. "Like for instance, Tanner over there," He pointed right at Tanner who was giving Momma a massage. "He thought that on the first day, to suck up a little bit, he brought in doughnuts for the entire crew." I began to giggle and looked at him in complete awe. "They were his best friend until Silvio caught wind of it and confiscated them. Tanner got monitor duty for two months, and Silvio got another inch on his waistline." I giggled and turned pink.

I could see Tanner blushing and trying not to let Les's story get to him. "Aww, Tanner. It's not that bad. Did you hear about the time I got Ranger shot?"

He stopped what he was doing and just stared at me with his blank face. "It was right after Connie had asked Ranger to train me, I had to go after Lonnie Dodd. I show up at his house, knock on the door and he opens it. I give him the whole 'You need to come with me to get rebonded' speech and he grabs my pocketbook and slams the door in my face. It sucked. My cuffs were in there with my gun." I laughed softly. "I call Ranger up and told him what happened. He just said," and in my best Ranger voice I could muster, "Babe."

Les was transfixed as were the girls. With how intently he was listening I doubted he had heard this story before. "So he shows up and he takes the back while I take the front. Well, Lonnie sees me back at the front door and books it out the back. Ranger had him at gun point and told him to drop to his knees. But Lonnie pulls my gun out from his waistband and shoots Ranger in the leg." A collective gasp was heard in the tent. "Lonnie makes a run for it and I see him come around the house to the front, so I laid the smack down on his ass. I clothes lined his ass right to the ground, cuffed him, got my gun back and then out comes Ranger from the back of the house. Limping! I was so pumped that I got my FTA, got my gun back and my pocketbook. But I was deathly afraid Ranger was going to kill me."

Les nodded. "The last person I saw shoot at Ranger ended up with a bullet right between their eyes." We all cringed at the thought.

"So, his phone rings and he has go. He tells me, 'Gotta go, Babe.', I mean, I thought he was going to die and he just limps away like it was nothing." I sat there mulling over my memory when Les jumped in again.

"Beautiful? Bobby spent three hours pulling out that bullet and sewing him up. He never did tell us what happened. It could have been because a skip got the drop on him." He chuckled.

"Really?" My eyebrows shot up to my hairline.

"Yup." Les popped his 'p'.

"What about the time Lula got chased by all those dogs?" Connie offered while sipping her champagne.

Lula groaned and started to get all defensive. "Oh, hell no. Nuh uh! You ain't hanging me out to dry, Connie."

"Why not everyone has to have a story told about them." She offered.

"So this one time, Lula decides she's going to go on a diet..." Five minutes later, Connie finished telling the bacon story. "And she throws the bag and books it into the office." We laughed until we were crying.

By the time we wandered out of the tent and to our beds it was nearly midnight. I waited on the porch swing, still wrapped in my robe, waiting for Evan. The sound of the wind sweeping across the grass land filled the air with a whisper quiet whoosh. I could make out the sound of gravel crunching under the soles of heavy boots, I looked up to see Evan make his way across the yard to me.

"Hey, Baby."

"Angel."

**A/N: Please read and review. I love reading them. They make my day. I miss them so much I'm ready to do just about anything to get them. My previous idea of holding a Merry Man hostage is sounding better and better. Hmmm... maybe I'll capture Bobby. Or Les... oh, hell. I'll take them all! Mwa ha ha ha! I'm so evil! SO if you want to see your precious Merry Men again, you'll leave me a review. After I get enough I'll let them go. Can't say that they'll be any better than they arrived, but I'll be much happier.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Stephanie Plum series, nor do I profit from them. I also don't own the rights to ****BONES****.**

**A/N: I love the reviews! You readers are awesome! Please keep them coming. So, as promised, I'm returning the Merrymen to their rightful place. *sigh* And we were having so much fun, too.**

I awoke Friday morning still a little ticked that I still hadn't had any sex with Evan in a few days. Evan and I had snuck off to the hayloft for a while last night. All was fine and dandy for a short time, I was completely naked and almost cresting my first wave of ecstasy, when the trap door flipped open and a dark head of hair popped up.

"Shit!" Evan covered my body with his, blocking any view of me from prying eyes.

"Damn! I'm sorry Man." I heard Vince apologize and dropped the hatch back into place.

Evan dropped his head to rest his forehead against mine. "Of all the places I thought we were going to be safe." I could feel a deep groan reverberate in his chest.

"It's alright, Baby."

He shook his head and flopped onto his back. "No, it's not. I can't even make love to my woman with all the guys around. It's nuts around here. I can't wait to get the son of a bitch that's making us crazy. _Then _maybe our life can get back to normal."

My cocked eyebrow made him give me one of his own. "When is our life ever normal?"

"True."

"I think we better go to bed, Baby." He groaned again and dragged himself to his feet. Handing each other our clothes, we redressed and climbed back down the ladder. Upon exiting the barn, we ran into Vince again. I gave Evan a quick peck on the lips before running back to the house. Evan turned to Vince, slapped the back of his head and headed back to the bunkhouse, mumbling about 'perpetual blue balls'.

This morning, I dressed in my usual workout clothes and nudged Mare. In a low whisper, "Are you going running with me today?" She groaned and flipped me the bird. I took that as a 'no' and headed down the stairs. My eyes laid themselves upon a much smaller group of runners than yesterday morning. Although, I was quite surprised to see my father and Pop up and stretching.

"Pumpkin." My dad wrapped me in a hug, as did Pop.

"Honey."

"Morning. I guess I'm the only girl up and at 'em this morning."

"So it seems, Babe." I turned around to see Ranger walking towards me. I leaned into his hug and sighed.

"Yeah, the girls wanted to sleep in."

He leaned down to whisper into my ear, "Vince is meeting me in the barn after our run."

"Don't hurt him too badly. He was just doing his job." He gave me his almost smile and I began to stretch out.

I ran hard, trying to get over the feeling of being on edge. Not only because I was denied multiple orgasms last night, but because this stalker guy was really starting to push my buttons. Getting back to the house after my run made me feel a little better, not so edgy. Evan and the guys all seemed to relax a little as well.

Lester found the girls and I eating our breakfast after he had cleaned up after his run. "Beautiful. I know we said that the Batchelor party would start at 1800 tonight, but from what I just checked on the schedule, we have our rehearsal tonight at 2000. Just wanted to let you know the guys and I will be offline starting at 1000, and we'll be back before the rehearsal starts."

"Sure, I guess. The only thing going on today are the vendors showing up and I guess the girls and I can handle that."

"Damn skippy we can handle it." Lula chimed in, mouth full of bacon.

"You go and have fun. Just make sure no one gets shot, no one gets hurt and Evan gets back in one piece." Lester gave me his trademark heart stopping smile, making the girls all sigh quietly in admiration.

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" He gave me a salute and headed back out the door, passing Evan in the process.

"Angel. I guess Santos told you about the change in plans, huh?" He kissed my cheek as I finished my scrambled eggs.

"Yup. I'm fine with it. We can handle the vendors." I motioned to the girls and I. "Go have fun. Be safe."

"I love you Angel." By this time, Evan was nose to nose with me looking deeply into my bright blue eyes.

"I love you too." He placed a gentle kiss to the tip of my nose.

An hour later the women and I were watching a huge box truck lumber up the road towards the house, followed by a smaller yellow SUV. The name Catering by Carol was plastered on both the truck and SUV. After parking next to the Rangeman SUV's, I watched as Carol and her son, Ben exit and walk over to the front porch. Momma raced down the porch stairs to greet our visitors.

"Carol!"

"Bunny! So good to see you again." Carol turned to her son, "You remember my son, Ben." He reached out and shook Momma's hand in a very business like manner.

"Yes, good to see you again, Ben." Momma pointed to the smaller barn to the right of the large barn. "This is where you will be set up. The boys already have a tent up behind it and they've run heavy duty power cables for you. The propane tanks are right next to the tent, hopefully there is enough. Evan and the boys ordered twice what you requested, so you shouldn't run out."

"Wonderful. Now where's Steph?" Carol glanced around until she finally saw me sitting on the porch swing.

Rising to my feet, I met Carol at the steps, holding my hand out to shake her hand. "Carol. Good to see you again."

"Steph, I'm so excited about tomorrow. I'm so happy for you." Her smile was infectious, and I had no choice to smile back.

"I'm glad we're seeing each other under better circumstances. Last time was not what I had in mind." My face was contorted into a grimace just thinking about the note and flowers left on the windshield of the nodded and patted my back.

"Ben and I can start the set up in a few minutes. I just need to borrow a few of those strapping young men if you don't mind?" She indicated to a few of my boys standing around as they stood guard over us girls.

"Sure." I turned looking to see someone I recognized. "Wolf?" My silent Navajo Merry Man, strode forward and waited for his orders. "Can you get a few of the guys together to help out Carol and Ben unload the truck?"

"Yes, Adheesi." I grinned and winked at him when the girls gave me a confused look.

"Who's Wheezy?" Connie asked.

"It's not Wheezy. It's Cheesy!" My Grandmother piped up, sneaking closer to Wolf, her fingers ready to pinch at a moments notice.

"Grandma! Behave." I chided. "My name's not Wheezy. And it's definitely not Cheesy, either. It's Adheesi Ya. Wolf named me in Navajo, it means Sister Sky."

"Cool. Can I have a Navajo name too? How about Sexy Kitten? I like that one."

Wolf walked away shaking his head, "Mrs. Mazur, I will give you a name after I have had time to carefully consider what would be best for you." She grinned and clapped her hands together.

"Ain't that a pip! I'm gonna get me myself an Injun name!" I groaned and tried to bury my face in my hands, ignoring the chuckled from the other women around me.

"Mother! What are you doing?" My mom just about had a coronary. I'm pretty sure if there had been a bottle of brandy or whiskey around, my mother would have taken a nip or two right about now.

"Relax, Helen. I'm just having a little fun." She wagged her finger in my mother's face. "You need to live a little."

"Hrump." That was the best come back my mom could think of. Yeah, good one, Mom. Not!

Connie had helped Momma bring out glasses of Iced Tea and Lemonade on the porch, as the women sat around chatting. We watched a group of Merry Men help Ben and Carol empty out the truck, hauling the contents into either the small barn or the tent. Industrial stoves, ovens, prep tables, sub zero refrigerators and freezers, hot boxes, box after box of china, serving ware, silverware, glasses, coffee cups, chafing dishes, napkins, tablecloths, table skirts, etc. It was amazing what they had been able to cram into both the truck and SUV. The worked efficiently and soon had everything squared away.

Wolf came back to us after a few minutes after they had finished with an update. "The second truck is bringing the tables and chairs and later today after they get the freezers and refrigerator up and running, the third truck will have the food."

"Good grief. You would think we were feeding an army." Mare, Connie, my mother and Momma just stared at me like I was crazy for what I had just said. "What?"

"You are feeding an army, Darlin'." Momma reminded me.

"Nuh uh. This ain't no army. You should see when Gurl here, gets the Merry Men all into Pino's. Now that's an Army!"

I paled at the mere mention of Pino's. I jumped to my feet when my breakfast decided it wanted to come back for round two. Running past the others I made it into the bathroom just in time. I lay on the floor eyes closed, the cool tile felt wonderful on my forehead. A cold damp washcloth was pressed to the back of my neck and my grandmother's soothing voice reassured me that everything was going to be alright.

"Grandma. I can't even think about what happened with Morelli without getting sick anymore." I sighed, feeling a little better.

"Grandbaby. It happens. You're Grandpa had a real hard time after he got back from the war. He had been stationed on a destroyer in the Pacific and saw a lot of bad things during that time. He lost quite a few of his friends in battle. Your Grandpa was finally discharged after a Zero hit the ship and he was hurt. He came home a changed man and until his dying day. Never boarded another ship or another air plane. He had nightmares for years afterwards."

"Did he get sick like this?" I asked, opening my eyes to see her give me a warm smile.

"He did. Anytime I mentioned I wanted to go on a cruise or fly somewhere, he'd get sick. It's all psychological, in your noggin." She tapped the side of her head. "Have you tried talking to someone about it?" My sigh told her all she needed to know. "The shrink wasn't someone who Ranger recommended, was it?" Shaking my head, she sighed. "I figured as much. Grandbaby, you need to find someone who has experienced similar situations. Only people who have seen the dark side of life can truly give you the advice you need." Who knew my Grandmother was such a wise woman?

"Thanks Grandma. I'm glad you understand." She nodded and rubbed my back before helping me to my feet. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, thankful I had left an extra toothbrush in the downstairs bathroom. "I'm feeling better, thanks."

She hugged me around my middle and stooped down to speak to Peanut. "Hey there Baby Ram. Be good to your Mommy." I giggled and kissed the top of her head.

"You're nuts Grandma."

"As a loon, looney toon!" She teased as we walked back out to the porch to find my mother braiding Mary Alice's hair.

"Ow Grandma! That hurts!" She was trying desperately to sit still, but it wasn't happening.

"Mom, let me do it. I could never sit still when I did my own hair either. I've got a system." She shook her head and allowed Mary Alice to get up. "MA come over here and stand in front of my. You can sway side to side, but you can't move forward or backward, okay?" She looked as if she were mulling it over for a minute before grinning.

"Okay, Aunt Stephy." She turned around and stood in front of me swaying from side to side gently. I handed her the bag that held her hair accessories that Les bought her.

"Pick out two of your favorite ones. The don't have to match and they just have to be what you like." She nodded and I set to work, braiding her hair into two french braids ending in pigtails. She handed me one hair tie that had a small sparkling black bow and another that was a sparkling silver conch. I tied them off and listened to my mother tsking under her breath. So what if the braids were a little wavy and so what if they weren't straight. Her hair was still braided and it looked neat enough for my sister to grin at me like a goofball.

"See, Steph. You'll make a great Mom." Mare grabbed my hand in hers and squeezed gently.

"Thanks. It still scares me sometimes, but I know that I have all of you plus my boys to help me." I stated in a relieved voice.

"Darlin', once you get over the pain of havin' 'em, you'll be so in love, you'll forget all the bad stuff and just focus on all the good." My Mom nodded in agreement.

"I don't remember much about the delivery for either you or Valerie. I just remember holding you for the first time and falling in love." Tears streaked down our cheeks thinking about the unconditional love a child brings their mother. For the first time since I found out I was pregnant, I felt excited about holding my baby. I wanted to experience that kind of love from such a pure and innocent person. I'm sure the boys did too.

Momma rose from her seat in one of the rocking chairs bringing my mother, Val and Grandma with her. Dr. Brennan excused herself to finish the report on the victim found the other day, leaving Lula, Connie and I sitting on the porch by ourselves.

"So, Gurl. You gonna let us see your dress yet?" Lula asked, hand on hip and ticked look on her face. "I mean, you've seen ours. How come we can't see your fine white ass in your new dress?"

"Lula." I sighed, trying not to lose my patience. "I promised myself that no one except Ella and I would see the dress until tomorrow. Please." I begged, hoping it would hold her off another 24 hours.

"Fine, but it better be good." She huffed out, her face scrunched into a pissy look.

"Whatever. You both need to relax." Connie tried explain.

I spun around to look her in the face, grabbing her shoulders with my hands. "How can I relax. I can't even have sex with Evan. It's pissing me off. I'm hormonal, I'm horny and I'm upset over this whole stupid stalker shit!" By the time I was done, I was feeling slightly dizzy and a persistent pounding in my head made me slump back in the swing.

"Steph? Are alright?" Connie placed her hand on my forehead to test my temperature, finding it fine. "Hun?"

"I'm fine. Just a little stressed out right now." I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'll just be happy when this whole fiasco is over."

"You've said that before. Should I radio for Bobby?" Connie inquired as she stroked the top of my hand with hers in an attempt to relax me.

"No. I'll be fine. I just need to relax a little. Maybe I'll feel better if I take a small nap."

"Go do that. We'll take care of the florist when she gets here, Gurl. You just go and take your self a long ass shower. From what I saw, Ram got himself one of those industrial grade shower massagers. I'd try it out if I were you. Make your self some happy." She grinned and ushered me out of the swing and into the house.

The feeling of the warm water cascading over me, made me smile a little. After careful consideration, okay so it took me 2.2 seconds, I decided that maybe Lula was right, I needed to get myself some happy.

Reaching up for the massager, a wicked grin spread across my face and I slumped back against the wall, lowered the hand held wand, and let the feelings of pleasure ripple over me. A soft moan escaped my lips as I felt the pulsing water impact my sorely neglected nub. A slow wave of warmth washed over me, making me whimper with need. I imagined Evan hands caressing me, his lips kissing me softly, his fingers roving over the soft parts of my body. My eyes closed all on their own, my breaths coming in short gasps as I maneuvered the wand back and forth, brushing the water over my clit. My free hand began to massage my breasts, tweaking the nipples into hard buds. I lifted my right leg onto the shower seat allowing for better contact, and I moaned much louder, using Evans name. "Oh, God! Evan."

At the feeling of my inside beginning to contract, I pinched my nipple, squeezing it hard. Stars burst behind my eyelids, the familiar feeling of an orgasm washed over me like a raging sea, wave after wave of sheer pleasure. I sank to my knees on the floor of the shower, the water now running closer to cold that hot. I groaned as I reached up and fumbled the water off. Feeling a hundred times better I dried off, and made my way out to the bed, falling fast asleep.

I awoke when the loud rumblings of my stomach, told me that I had missed lunch. Even though I felt all warm and cozy under the blankets of the bed, I decided that it was time to feed the beast, before it revolted and began to eat my innards.

Finding no one in the kitchen, I made myself a sandwich, grabbed an apple and a glass of lemonade. Seating myself in front of the TV in the front room, I was watching a program on Fish and Game Wardens in California when a loud explosion and a hard thump against the side of the house made me lay flat on the wood floor. The sound of footfalls made me feel a little better as a large group of my boys came to my rescue.

"Bomber! Where are you?" Silvio shouted as he ran up the stairs searching for me.

I raised myself up onto my elbows and watched him race back down the stairs frantic that I wasn't in bed. "I'm right here Silvio." Finding my feet, I stood to find not only Silvio but a good dozen or so of my boys standing in the foyer, guns drawn. Before he wrapped his arms around me, he holstered his side arm and I was a little nervous about the reason for the whole invasion. "What happened."

"Thank God you're alright." He checked me over quickly. "Peanut's okay?"

"YES! I'm fine. Peanut is fine. What the hell happened?" At this point I was shouting due to the fact no one was listening to me. He stepped back and pointed to the window. I glanced out to see a large canister of propane blown to bits, the earth scorched and pitted with shrapnel. "Holy Shit!"

"Bomber, the valve must have been faulty. It blow just after the Caterer hooked up the tank. I'll have the guys clean it up and get it out of here pronto." I nodded and turned to him.

"Is everyone alright?" Worry lines creased my face, making me feel about sixty instead of thirty four.

"Bomber, everyone is fine. Only one casualty." He held out his arm to show a piece of shrapnel had imbedded itself into his upper arm. I gasped and sat him down on the couch as fast as I could.

"Wolf! I need a suture kit, iodine, bandages, tape, a BP cuff and a stethoscope. STAT!" He turned on his heels and ran out of the room to find my required items.

"You're not going to do it are you Bomber?" Silvio asked a little nervous.

"Aww, don't be such a baby!" At that very moment the girls decided to run into the house via the kitchen, to check on me.

"DARLIN'!"

"Steph!"

"White Gurl!"

"I'm right here!" I shouted, they followed my voice to find me comforting Silvio while we waited for the first aid supplies.

"Good Lord!" Momma shouted before crossing herself. My mother did the same only raising her face to the ceiling, eyes closed, probably thankful it wasn't me who was injured.

"I'm fine. The baby is fine. Silvio, though." I gestured to his arm. "Not so much."

"Silvio, are you okay Sweety?" Momma seated herself next to him and began to stroke his hair softly. My mother took up the other seat and began to pat his knee, in a comforting gesture. I groaned and tried not to laugh out loud. Silvio, the ham, was taking it all in. His obvious pleasure of being doted on was on full display and I couldn't stomach it any further.

I shoo'd the rest of the guys out of the house and gave them orders, "I want that mess cleaned up. I want it to look like nothing has happened. Set the pieces aside, I may want to examine them later."

A chorus of "Yes, Ma'ams" guaranteed that what I had asked for would be done in no time flat.

By the time I got back into the front room, Wolf had returned and was setting out the supplies. "Wolf, I need you to cut off his shirt sleeve." I lowered my voice, drawing him closer to hear me. "Do not, under any circumstances, let him take his shirt off. I don't want my mother or Momma fawning over him any more than they already are." He nodded and I raced into the kitchen to wash my hand thoroughly.

"Are you sure you know how to do this, Bomber?" Silvio asked, nervous at the sigh of me wielding a needle and surgical thread.

"Relax. I get stitches at least once a month. I help Bobby stitch the guys up all the time. It's really not that hard. Just make the stitches small and make sure they don't pucker. Right?"

"Am I going to have to have Bobby restitch me after all of this?" He asked.

"I could suture him up. If you'll allow me." Dr. Brennan offered as she stood off to the side out of the way.

Turning to face her, I smiled and held out the needle and surgical thread to her. "Please. You've had much more experience than I have. Go for it." She ran into the kitchen to wash her hands and allowed me to assist her while she stitched Silvio back together again. The sound of the offending piece of aluminum hitting the small tray next to Dr. Brennan made me cringe slightly. It was much bigger than I had anticipated. After the wound was cleaned out and sutured, Silvio was good as new. He grinned and kissed both my cheek and that of Dr. Brennan.

"Thanks, Doc. And thanks Bomber. Wait until Ranger hears all about you two."

I groaned and Dr. Brennan just responded with, "I'd be more than happy to give Ranger a report about your wound. Although, I am much more experienced in dealing with the bones of humans, Dr. Saroyan is much more qualified to deal with live and fully fleshed persons. She would have done a much better job suturing the wound with near perfection." I giggled and turned my face away from Silvio when he realized that Dr. Brennan focus more on dead people than live people.

'Uh, thanks anyway."

"No thanks needed. You were injured and I was in a position to help. I'd expect the same from anyone here if I were in need of help." She stated matter of factly and I turned a shade of pink from holding in my laughter.

"Well, all things considered, Rangeman now owes you one, Dr. Brennan." Silvio gushed, he was currently eying her with awe and fascination.

**A/N: So another chapter posted. So, what did you think? I know it's been a while for Steph and Evan, so I just had to give her some type of relief. LOL. I'd love for you all to see this story as I see it in my head. but the closest I'll ever get is if I write it down and describe it for you. So what do you think was behind the explosion? Was it really an accident or was it sabotage? And way to go Dr. Brennan! Patching Silvio up after getting injured. I think Silvio might have a small crush on the good Doctor now. Will Booth have competition? So honestly, who do you think is the stalker? I've left quite a few clues as to his identity. I'm hoping you can pick up on them and lead you to the stalker. Maybe another clue or two next chapter will help you all out.**

**Please read and review. I love reading your thoughts and seeing what you take in from the story.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own nor do I profit from Janet's characters, or from the characters of ****BONES.**

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of you that have reviewed this story thus far. I know I've been **_**really**_** bad about thanking you all personally. Hopefully you'll accept this blanket thank you for all your kind words of encouragment.**

Silvio managed to make it back to his duties, but only after being dated upon by my mother and Momma. He finally walked out of the kitchen after eating a few of Momma's fresh baked brownies and a huge glass of milk. And _I thought I _was one to suck up attention when I got hurt. Sheesh!

Ella and I sat down in the parlor to put the finishing touches on the bridal party gifts. I had splurged and bought Lester a silver flask engraved with an 'S', a black t-shirt that I had especially printed for him that read: My best friend think I'm drop dead sexy!, and a gift certificate for an online naughty store, I was sure he'd love.

Connie, Lula and Val had gift certificates to a well known Trenton day spa, for the works. Silver necklaces with a specially made cartoon bomb pendant were nested into velvet boxes. And each had personalized vintage cartoon t-shirts. Connie had the Strawberry Shortcake shirt, Val had the My little Pony shirt, and Lula had the SheRa shirt. I couldn't wait to wear my shirt when the girls wore theirs. I had the Smurfette shirt. Hey, if you think about it, I did kinda feel like Smurfette. She was the only female smurf in the group of 100 smurfs, just like how I'm the only female in the group of 150 Rangeman.

The girls, Angie and MA, both had t-shirts that read: My Aunt thinks I'm cuter than you!, bot got silver necklaces with the same cartoon bomb, and 2 season passes for Six Flaggs Great Adventures each, so Val and Albert could go with them. I knew that the cutesy stuff of coloring books, crayons, stickers and bubbles would be a hit, and what Ella and I had chosen would only add to what Les had bought them.

Ella and I packed the things into the gift bag with copious amounts of tissue paper and tied with contrasting ribbons. Setting them off to the side, I pulled the gift for Evan out that Tank brought me earlier in the week. A brand new sniper's scope was exactly what he needed, since his old one broke _again_ when we were shooting on Monday. I was thankful that Ranger had taken care of ordering it for me, I had no idea where to buy one this fancy or that expensive. Crap, it cost more than most of my former POS cars did.

I wrapped the hard plastic case in Superman wrapping paper I had found at a novelty shop in Trenton a few weeks ago. After placing the big red bow, I slid the present under the hutch, hiding it from nosy people. Ella and I finished putting away the last of the gift wrap and headed back into the front room to find Bobby sitting on the couch talking to Momma in a hushed voice.

"Bobby? What are you doing here?" I asked, a little confused.

"Bomber, I think you better sit down." Realizing that this wasn't good, I half sat, half collapsed into the first chair I came to. "We have a slight problem."

"What problem?" I managed to squeak out.

"Uh, I had to come back for some additional supplies."

"Supplies? What are you talking about? Medical supplies?"

"Kinda." Bobby's gaze was fixed on the floor, and I figured out pretty quickly that this wasn't good, at all. I made a 'go go' motion with my hand and he sighed. "Cal kinda fell while we were fishing at the lake. Wouldn't be so bad, but landed on our extra rods and tackle and somehow managed to get a fly caught on the skin of his forehead."

"And...?" I wasn't liking the way his explanation was going at this point and I had a sinking feeling I knew there was more to it.

"And Hal being the dumbass that he is tried to rip it out."

"Let me guess. Cal now has a gaping wound on his forehead, Hal the crap beat out of him for causing Cal's wound, and they both need tending. Is that about right?" Bobby's slow and methodical nod, confirmed my suspicion. "Shit! Can't you guy stay out of trouble?"

"Bomber, when have we ever managed to do that?" His shit -eating grin made me chuckle.

Growing quiet, I followed him outside as he made his way to the bunkhouse to get his things. "So, honestly how bad is it?"

"Well, I should be able to hide the sutures in Cal's tattoo. As for Hal, you may want to let the girls loose on him. He's going to need a lot of make-up to cover his damage."

"Guess it's a good thing he's got Connie and Lula to fix him up. So what's the extent of his injuries?" Bobby turned to lean against the door jam of the bunkhouse while leaned into him.

"Black eye, split lip, huge bruise on both his cheeks, and a bruised rib on his right side." I winced knowing that the bruised rib was going to be painful for quite a while.

"So I guess I better let you get back to tend to their boo boos." I teased, happy that it was as minor as a few injuries. I kissed his cheek and rubbed my hand over his head gently. "Be sure to tell Evan I love him and tell Ranger that the explosion wasn't my fault." I grinned and walked away before he could ask me what that was all about.

Sometime around 1400 I heard the guys all make it back to the house. The next sound I heard was one I was hoping I wasn't going to hear. "STEPHANIE!" Cringing, I made my way out of the door to find Silvio standing in front of the core team, head up staring straight ahead, body totally rigid. I made my way to stand in front of them, next to Silvio, with a similar stance. Evan looked as if he was going to kill someone, and Ranger... well, let's just say I hope and pray he doesn't turn his rage on me at any point.

"Stephanie." Ranger's voice sounded strained and hearing my given name, I knew I was in a shit load of trouble.

"Ranger." I replied, trying not to let my voice waver,

"Care to tell me why no one thought to alert us that an incident happened while we were gone." His arm muscles flexed as he tried to keep himself steady in a seemingly relaxed state.

"Um. I didn't want to bother you guys. This was supposed to be a day for you all to relax and have some fun."

"Babe. Brown stated that the explosion wasn't your fault. Usually, it indicates there was an incident and I don't like being surprised. Care to explain?"

I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to find the words to explain what had happened, but at that moment in time, words were failing me. Only finding the energy to whisper one sentence, I breathed out, "It wasn't my fault."

"I think we gathered that, Angel." Evan sounded pissed. SHIT!

Throwing my arms up and pacing around I began to explain what had happened. "I was watching TV in the front room. I heard a big boom and something hit the side of the house. Next thing I know, Silvio and the men ran into the house like crazed men trying to find me. I showed them I was okay, but I found out that Silvio had been hit by shrapnel. So I prepped to suture him up, but Dr. Brennan offered her services so I wouldn't have to."

Bobby stood there shocked, "You were going to suture him up?" I nodded. "How?"

"I had Wolf get me the supplies and I washed my hands. I get everything ready and then Dr. Brennan took over." He narrowed his eyes at me studying me closely. "Oh, come on. How hard can it be? I've watched you how many times stitch people up, including me! Keep them small and don't let them pucker."

"It's a little more complicated than that."

"Well, you were gone and it needed to be fixed. I couldn't leave Silvio with that chunk of metal sticking out of his arm like that." I sighed heavily and looked Bobby straight in the eyes. "I made a decision to help my men. Period. It's the same one you would have made. So don't you throw this back on me when you try to rationalize this situation and try to make it my fault."

"Bomber..."

"No, you listen to me Robert Brown!" I was going in for the kill, I used his full name. I watched as eyes widened around us and a few of the guys actually stepped back slightly. "I did what any one of us core member would have done. I was the only Core member here, there for, I was left in charge. If you have a problem with that then you can kiss my cute white ass!" I was toe to toe with Bobby at this point and I had the collar of his shirt in my hand, pulling him down to look me in the eyes.

"No Ma'am."

"Good. I'd hate to have to kill you." I teased as I let his shirt go, allowing him to stand back to his full height. "Now! Does anyone else have a problem?"

Blank stares answered my question and I continued. "When Dr. Brennan was stitching him back together, I had the guys clean up the mess, but save all the metal shards. I wanted to look at them later. Silvio said it was a failed valve, but I'm not so sure. If it were just a failed valve, it would have just broke open the top of the canister at the most. Honestly, I think it had a little help."

Ranger gave me a thoughtful look. "Babe. You've had time to think about this haven't you?"

"What? You all taught me to be observant and think things through. I just reacted to the situation and did what I thought was necessary."

"Angel. You scared the living shit out of us!" I smiled under my fisted hand, trying to hide it.

I ran into his outstretched arms, and snuggled in. "I'm sorry, but I had to do what I had to do."

"Babe." Ranger gave me a somewhat sigh and held his arms out to me as well. I shuffled Evan and I over to him so I could get a sandwich hug from them both. Hey, a girl has needs you know! And this girl needs a sandwich hug right about now.

"Babe."

"Out loud?"

"Yup." Evan teased. "Although, if Les tries to join in, I'm decking him." I threw my head back and laughed. It felt good to be laughing again. With all the hub bub from the wedding and the crazy ass stalker it's really like I hadn't had a good belly laugh in a few days. Sadly for me, the laughter didn't last.

Ranger and the guys all dragged me to the tent where the remains of the propane tank was, to 'inspect the evidence' as Les put it. Bobby had one of the boys find Booth and bring him in on it. Not surprisingly, Dr. Brennan tagged along. "So what are we looking at?" She asked, moving a mangled piece of aluminum with a gloved hand.

"It used to be a propane tank. Silvio said the valve failed and that's why it exploded. But something doesn't feel right." My spidey senses were screaming at the top of their lungs at that point, and it was hard to concentrate on anything else. I placed a hand on my temple and shook my head gently trying to shake the feeling.

"Bomber? Are alright?" Hal draped an arm around my waist just as I began to sway. "Bobby!" I slumped into Hal's arms although I remained conscious.

"Bomber? Can you hear me?" Bobby fished his pen light from his breast pocket and began flashing it into my eyes.

Weakly I responded, "Yeah. My spidey sense has never been this bad." Looking at Evan and Ranger, my lip quivered. "I'm scared. It's gonna be bad. I just know it." Evan knelt down on the ground and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to relax but I could not stop the sickening feeling in my stomach and the buzzing in my head. "Evan. Check around what's left of the valve. I think you'll find something wrong. This was intentional."

Booth instantly gloved his hands and picked out the only remaining piece of the valve, inspecting it closely. "I think I can see something. Bones, can I use your magnifying glass?"

"Sure." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folding magnifying glass, handing it to Booth. He opened it and began inspecting the same piece from before. "Ah Ha! Look here." He pointed to a small blob on the metal near the stem. "That's some type of explosive. Smell it." Cal pushed forwards and sniffed the piece before I could hear a low growl.

"Bossman. He's right. It's a homemade explosive charge. Someone set it off on purpose, this was no accident."

Before I could even open my mouth to speak, I was whisked off of my feet surrounded by my boys and taken to the house and up to my room. After Tank had closed the door behind us and secured the deadbolt, did the other relax. "What the hell is going on?" I shouted struggling to get out of Evan's arms.

"Angel. The propane exploded here on the property. We double checked the propane before it was unloaded from the truck. Nothing was wrong with them. Someone tampered with the tank after it was already here. The stalker or someone working with him is here."

"Shit! How are we going to figure out who it is?" I began to wring my hands in a desperate attempt to give myself something to do instead of biting my lip off.

"We are, you're not." Ranger demanded.

"Like hell I'm not! Look, I don't like this situation anymore than you do. But we need all hands on deck, like it or not!"

"Babe. I don't want you getting hurt or worse."

"I understand, but this is _my_ wedding. Suck it up." I turned from him to face the boys. "Hal I want a complete work up, get Manny to help you. Cal I want to know if any of the surveillance cameras you have set up caught anything, get Hector to check, too. Tank and Les need to talk to the guys who were on duty near the area. Ranger I need you to talk to the vendors. Dr. Brennan and I are going to have a little chat while Evan can take up guard duty outside the door." I motioned to the locked double doors behind me.

"Bomber, you're scary when you're in control." Hal chuckled and dragged Cal with him.

"Bomber, what about me?" Bobby watched from his seat on the couch.

"Stay here. I'll need you and Booth to decipher whatever I don't understand Dr. Brennan says."

"Got it."

"Babe?"

I spun around not realizing that both Evan and Ranger were still standing in the same spot in the room. "Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Taking control of the situation. If you can't figure out who this asshole is, I will." I turned away from him biting my thumbnail.

"Angel. It's not like we were sitting there with our thumbs up our asses." I pulled my thumb out from my mouth looked at it and then began to chew it again.

"I know. It's just I'll feel better if I can have some type of control. I'm not trying to undermine your authority Ranger, it's just I can't take this anymore!" I was almost shouting at this point.

"Babe." He paused, and I looked at him a little nervous. "Proud of you." I beamed and felt a million times better about my choice to take the proactive approach. He and Evan waked out of the room closing the door behind them.

Waiting a moment until I was sure both Ranger and Evan were away from the door, I seated myself on the couch next in between Booth and Dr. Brennan. "I think this might shed some light on your investigation into your victim." Pulling open my suitcase, I pulled out the file Hal had given me. "I had a few of the guys still in Trenton do the regular background check." Booth made to open his mouth, but I stopped him. "But we also did an intensive and extensive check not only into the victim, but her family and who has been the number one suspect since day one."

"Bomber! What the hell? When did you do this?" Bobby was miffed I had kept this from the team. Especially since I was told to drop it by Evan.

"Bobby, I have my ways." Shooting him a smug grin, I handed the file to Booth. We waited for a few minutes as he leafed through it, scratching his head the whole time.

"Well, I'll be damned! How come I can't even get this kind of info when I do the background checks?" He mused.

"Because I have access to research programs that you can only dream about." I teased.

Booth pointed to a paragraph in the file, "I didn't know the victims brother was once married to Brittany Parker. The parents failed to mention that." His interest in that little tidbit made my spidey sense start acting up again.

"Bobby. My spidey sense is going haywire again." He knelt down by my side and began to take my BP. Satisfied that it was normal he sat back down waiting for us to finish our conversation with Booth and Dr. Brennan.

"I agree. My gut's telling me that there's something wrong with that whole situation. Why would the Senator and his wife forget to tell us that their only son was once married to the number one suspect in their only daughter's death?" He jumped to his feet and began pacing.

"And... how does it all tie into the remains being left on the ranch? Or does it? This is all just so crazy." I wondered, staring up at the ceiling.

"Okay, for argument's sake, let's say the killer is tied to your stalker." Booth began thinking out loud, his pacing almost frantic. "Why would the stalker be tied to Ms. Parker?"

"She's playing him." Bobby chimed in. "The Sheriff stated that he thought that the stalker was visiting her in jail."

"I'll get her visitor list." He stood to make his way out the door, when I stopped him.

"You won't have to. I've got one Sheriff West had Bear give me." I pulled a sealed envelope out of my suitcase and gave it to Booth.

Bobby shook his head and groaned. "I should have known that you'd have all this info." We glanced through the list, "There's three names we know that are on the list." Bobby noted. I nodded slowly and that familiar sick feeling began rage in my stomach. Crap!

"We need to get the guys back in here pronto!" I jumped to my feet and I knew we only had one chance to get who I was sure the stalker was, before he figured out that we knew who he was. Bobby raced out of the door, leaving Dr. Brennan and Booth shocked staring at me like I was some crazy lady.

Five minutes later the parlor was packed with the Rangeman core group, the leaders of the other offices, as well as Dr. Brennan and Booth. "Ram?" Ranger urged me to stand and conduct the meeting.

"Earlier today a propane tank exploded, injuring Silvio. After examining the metal shards, the core team, Booth and Dr. Brennan concluded that it was sabotage. We began an investigation and I'm interested to see what the results are." Evan explained.

"Hal? What have you and Manny got?"

Hal stood and shoved a short stack of paper in my general direction. "No prints, but the explosive compound was definitely home-made. The recipe can be found on the internet. There were traces of gun powder consistent with what we've found in the last batch of shell casings. It's a custom blend. And we found something unexpected. Motorcycle oil."

"How did you know it was motorcycle oil and not car oil?" I asked, confused. "Isn't it the same thing?"

"Nope. They're different. Motorcycle oil doesn't have the friction modifiers. It makes it a lot easier to identify."

"So who do we know that rides a motorcycle?" Cal asked, watching my reaction. From what I've seen and heard, all three of my suspects ride motorcycles. So actually it wasn't really all that unexpected.

"Cal? What did you and Hector find?"

"Nothing. The cameras that we did put up, are focused in the big barn and the entrances and exits of the house. They didn't catch anyone other than our men."

"Ranger what did you get from Carol and the florist?"

"Babe." He gave me his almost smile. "Neither saw anybody approach the tanks." He paused before continuing. "Carol states that both she and Ben were prepping the meat for tomorrow. The florist, Jane, states that she and her assistant were both on ladders in the big barn hanging the grapevines over the altar when it happened. Jester can vouch for their whereabouts. He was asked to help them reach a few of the higher areas." I nodded and turned to Tank and Les.

"Guys. You're up. What 'cha got for me?"

"Babygirl. I'm sorry. But none of the guys saw anything. They were focused on their duties."

"For once it wasn't me who wasn't aware of their surroundings." The soft chuckles eased the tension in the room slightly. I chewed my bottom lip, trying to word what I wanted to say.

"Okay. Overview. He's familiar with firearms, he's familiar or proficient at butchering, is local, knows the area well enough to hide, he's got the ability to remain unmemorable, rides or has contact with motorcycles, ordered the novelty license plate using a stolen credit card, used the same black newer model sedan, has either had at one point or has recurring contact with Brittany Parker and has the capabilities to manufacture home-made explosives. He tried shooting you in Trenton, he left his first message in the pizza box, left you another message on your truck with the flowers, sent the package with the heart, shot at you with Lester, came after you with Ranger and the propane exploded. Anything else?"

"I've figured out who the sick asshole stalker is." Low murmurs filled the air, until I held up my hand. "Look. I know some of the guys from the other offices have never seen me work before, but I'm telling you, I'm sure of who it is. I'm staking my life on this." Evan slid his hand over my belly, covering Peanut in a protective gesture. "I'm staking my baby's life on it."

"Bomber?" Hal questioned, clearly uneasy with the fact I had mentioned Peanut.

"Hal. The more I think about this, the more I know we need to do this take down ASAP." I glanced at my watch to see it was almost 1900 as it was, and the rehearsal was scheduled for 2000.

"Shit. We've got less than an hour to get this planned out before the priest gets here." Evan realized as he glanced at my watch as well.

"Well. Let's plan this shit out, I've got a rehearsal to get to." My hands were planted on my hips, eyebrows knitted together, my resolve clear. That was until Scratch came bursting through the door.

"Bossman. We got a problem."

"What?" Tank bellowed, pissed that our private meeting had been interrupted.

"Kelly's been sedated. Someone got to her and left this on her kennel." We looked into his right hand to see a familiar white paper.

Lester snatched it from his hand to give it a better look. "Shit! We're fucked!"

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffie, but I love making you come back for more. So I thought I'd throw in another clue or two. Did they help? Do you know who it is? He he he. I'm such a bitch sometimes!**

**Please review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine, but I'd like them to be. **

**A/N: Sorry, I know it's been almost a week since I've updated, but I've been so busy with RL it isn't funny. I've worked over 50 hours this week already and I just couldn't find the energy to post this chapter sooner. Sadly, it's been sitting on my computer for the last 5 days. As seeing I had today off, I tweaked a few of the paragraphs and decided it was time to post. Hope you like it. Please don't forget to review after you finish reading.**

Those of us seated, jumped to our feet. "Les?" My voice wavered slightly, afraid of what he about to say.

"This Fuckers gotta die." He handed the paper to Ranger who growled deep in his chest.

"Tank round up the men. We're going hunting." I whipped my head from man to man as they made to file out of the room in an orderly fashion.

"STOP!" My hand fisted on my hips. "No one goes anywhere until I see the paper." I had began shouting, but by the time I uttered the last word, my voice was but a whisper.

"Babe." Ranger handed me the paper and I paled at the words written on it. I turned to the wastebasket and lost my lunch. Evan held my hair as Les rubbed my back. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I turned my teary eyes onto Ranger. "We have to get him. NOW!"

I rushed past Ranger and the guys, making my way to the catering tent. I had pulled my sidearm and was running as fast as my short little legs could carry me. Rushing into the tent, I startled Carol who was seasoning the potatoes for tomorrow. "Carol where's Ben?" She turned in a 360, looking for him.

"I.. I... I don't know?" She was shocked and watching me, fear in her eyes.

"Go get in the house. Tell Momma to lock everyone in. Don't let anyone out until they are told that it's all clear."

"Yes, Ma'am." She dropped her gloves where she stood and ran as fast as she could out the door and to the house. By this time the core team had caught up and were standing beside me, their side arms drawn and at the ready.

"Angel? Where's Ben?" Evan glanced around the tent.

"Carol doesn't know. We need to find him."

"He's back here!" Zero shouted from behind the tent. Racing out the rear door, we found Zip, checking Ben for a pulse. Ben was sprawled out on the ground, looking quite dead.

Bobby dropped to his knees and checked his pulse. "Pulse is faint. Get him into the house." Zip and Zero carried the unconscious Ben into the house, while I stood outside with the rest of the core team.

"Angel? What's going on?"

I was pacing at this point, doubting myself. Frustration filled my voice as I mumbled, "I was sure it was him. What's wrong with me?"

Lester stopped me dead in my tracks, holding me by my shoulders. "Beautiful! What is going on? What are you doing?"

"I was sure it was him. I got a tingle and everything. My gut is telling me it's Ben, but how can it be, if he's knocked out?" I was ignoring the others, lost in my thoughts.

"Regroup." Ranger ordered, signaling us to meet in the Comm tent.

Inside the tent, I flopped down into one of the chairs and held my head in my hands. "I'm sorry. I must have interpreted the signal wrong. I was sure Ben was the stalker. I guess it was telling me he was in trouble."

Tank laid a comforting hand on my shoulder and kissed the top of my head gently. "Babygirl. We can't be right all the time."

Zip walked into the tent a moment later. "Bossman. He'll be okay. What ever knocked him out is wearing off. Bobby says he'll be fine in a few minutes. But he'll keep an eye on him for a little while to be sure."

Ranger nodded, effectively dismissing Zip. "We need to get a grip." Cal sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

Silvio reported in a few minutes later, stating that everyone else was accounted for and we had no sign of any intruders."

The crackle of the radio signaled that a guy at the gate was radioing in.

"Main gate to Base."

"Go ahead Main gate." Cal answered.

"The priest is here. Do you still want me to send him in? Or hold him here?"

Cal turned to Ranger, "Do we let him in?" Ranger nodded and I sighed. "Main gate, let him in."

"Copy that Base. Main gate out."

"Copy."

Swiveling the chair to face Evan, I blinked back tears. "I'm sorry. I thought I was right."

Evan knelt next to me, his hand on my knee. "Angel. It's alright. You helped us to find Ben. If we hadn't found him, he might not be alive right now." He picked me up in his arms and carried me into the house.

"All clear." Momma's face brightened as she laid eyes on us all in one piece and undamaged.

"Darlin', you feeling okay?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry. I just can't wrap my head around this. It's driving me nuts." She wrapped her arms around me, comforting me.

"White Gurl, you need to just relax. Shit happens sometimes. You just gotta learn to deal with it." Lula stated as she shoveled another of Momma's cookies into her mouth. "I mean, if it's not Ben, then who is it?"

"I don't know." I huffed out and closed my eyes. "I just hope and pray this asshole doesn't ruin my wedding day."

Ranger shifted slightly before asking Tank, Lester, Evan and I to join him in the parlor. Turning to Hal, Ranger added. "Notify me as soon as the priest gets here." Hal nodded and stationed himself next to the front door.

Sitting on Evan's lap on the couch, with Les rubbing my now bare feet, Ranger entered the room and rolled his eyes. "Babe. You're killing me here."

"So what's up Batman?" I asked, eyes closed, my body now starting to relax.

"I think I have something you and Ram need to consider before the priest leaves after the rehearsal."

"Sir?" Evan watched him warily.

Four minutes later Hal knocked on the parlor door. "Sir. Father Timothy is here."

Tank urged Hal, "Show him in."

Forty five minutes later, our group emerged from the parlor, with Ranger in the lead. "Prepare for the rehearsal."

All present jumped into action headed for the door, except Bobby and Ben. "Bossman, I need someone to stand in for me. I'll remain here to monitor Ben."

Ranger nodded and selected three men from the Atlanta office to remain inside the house with Bobby as back up. We assembled in the barn, Carol in tow. "Stephanie? What do I do now?" She asked, still frazzled from the events earlier.

Placing my hand on her shoulder, "Carol, Ben will be okay. Bobby is just making sure Ben recovers from the sedative. He'll be fine. What I need you to do, is go finish what you had planned to do earlier. We can lend you a few guys to help you out if you need them." She nodded and guided the two men Evan assigned to her out of the barn and to her prep tent.

Now with the wedding party and our extra security detail, we proceeded to attempt a run through of the ceremony. Father Timothy, outlined the usual procedure for the ceremony he was going to preform. "Mack, I need you and your men to assemble at the alter in the order you designated. Evan nodded and indicated for the men to fall in. Father Timothy stood next to Evan, with Cal next to him. Then in line were Ranger, Tank and then Hal (who was standing in for Bobby).

"Miss Valerie, I would like for you to walk down the aisle, turn left at the front and step over to your assigned mark." Val smiled sweetly and as she always did, following her instructions to the 'T'.

"Miss Lula, you will walk down the aisle, turn to your left and stand on your 'X'." Lula did as she was told and slowly made her way down the aisle, slowing to turn and stop on her mark.

"Miss Connie, you'll do the same as Miss Lula, only stop on your 'X'." Connie followed Father Timothy's orders and was soon standing on her mark as well.

"Mr. Santos."

"Please call me Lester or Les, Father." Les implored with a genuine smile.

"Lester, I need you to follow the same as the girls, except you will be next to the bride." Father Timothy grinned. "I do have to say, this is my first wedding where there is a Man of Honor."

"There's a first time for everything Father." Ranger replied, as he stood there at ease (like all my boys), with their arms crossed over their chests.

"We're not really normal kind of people." Les confirmed. "We tend to march to the beat of a different drum."

"That's alright, my son. It takes all kinds in this world, and our Holy Father loves us regardless." Father Timothy motioned with his hand. "Now for your entrance, Lester."

Les grinned and began to do a beauty queen wave the entire trip down the aisle. "Les!" I hissed. "I swear, you do that tomorrow and I doubt Father Timothy would be able to give you your last rights quick enough after I get through with you."

Les's grin faded and he quickly scooted to his spot. "Geez! Bridezilla!" I glared at him before turning to my father.

"Miss Mary Alice and Miss Angie? Are you lovely ladies ready? I want you to walk down the aisle slowly, dropping the flower petals as you go. You need to walk together, go slow and don't run. Once you get to the front where Mack is standing, I want you to turn around and go sit with Grandma Plum and Grandma Mazur. Okay?" The girls nodded, although MA seemed a little more hesitant that Angie.

They walked down the aisle, dropping pretend flower petals and Angie kept MA from walking too fast. As they neared the front, MA turned to me gave me a pained look and promptly puked right on the floor.

Running to her side, my sister scooped her up and took her outside to get some fresh air. Evan ran out to one of the other barns to retrieve a shovel. He came back, and promptly removed the offending mess, covering the spot with fresh hay. A moment later, Val stepped back in leading MA, who looked a hundred times better. MA walked up to me and hugged my legs. "I'm sorry Aunty Stephy. I got scared thinking about all the people who are going to be here tomorrow. It made my tummy feel sick. I'm sorry for ruining your wedding."

I hugged her back and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It's alright Honey, you didn't ruin anything, this is just practice tonight. It's okay, it's better to get it out of your system tonight than tomorrow. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Uncle Evan got it all cleaned up."

She looked up at me with her innocent blue eyes and smiled. "Thanks Aunty Stephy. You're the best."

"Alright. Go sit with you sister next to Grandma." She nodded and ran back up the aisle to where my mother was sitting next to Grandma Mazur on a bale of hay. We all resumed our previous positions, ready to finish the rehearsal.

"Daddy? You ready?" I asked clasping his hand in mine.

"Pumpkin. I'm more than ready." He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and led me down the aisle. It was an odd feeling knowing that I was going to finally have the wedding I had always dreamed of since I was a little girl. The sight of Evan watching me make my way down the aisle was almost too much for me and I began to cry silently.

"Angel?" Evan stepped forward wiping away a tear from my cheek as my father and I had reached our mark.

"I'm good. I'm just so happy." He grinned and stood on the opposite side of my father.

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly and after one more quick run through, we were more than ready for tomorrow. Our group managed to ignore Manny as he had been snapping pictures the whole time, trying to capture the rehearsal in photographs. Manny smiled and gave me a thumbs up when Evan and I passed him the second time walking down the aisle 'post ceremony'. I flipped him the bird and he promptly snapped a shot of it, chuckling the whole time.

We all walked into the house to find the smell of fresh delivered pizza filling the house. "What the...?" I spun around to find a frowning Carol leaning against the kitchen counter. "What? How?"

"Stephanie. I felt so bad about not getting the rehearsal dinner together, so I called in a few favors and had pizza delivered here from Broadus. I hope you can forgive me?" She stared down at her feet, disappointed in herself.

I gripped her shoulders in my hands before hugging her tightly. "Thank you! This is the best surprise I've had yet." Her frown faded and was soon replaced by a bright smile. "How did you know I love pepperoni with extra cheese?"

She gave my dad a quick look before whispering, "A little bird told me."

Sinking my teeth into a still hot pepperoni pie was heaven, a loud moan escaped and I heard the boys groan in response. "Bomber? You okay over there?" Hal teased.

"Yeah. I'm good." I shot back, giving him my best innocent look.

"Beautiful. I guess I don't have to remind you that as Man of Honor, it's my responsibility to ensure that after tonight, Ram doesn't see you until the ceremony tomorrow."

"Yeah, and?" I responded with sass.

"That means I get to camp out on the couch with you ladies." His lecherous grin couldn't have been bigger.

"I swear to high heaven," Connie turned to Father Timothy, "Sorry Father, you may not want to hear this last part," Father Timothy grinned and placed his fingers into his ears. "I swear if you try to cop a feel tonight, I'm going to chop off you balls and feed them to Barnyard when we get home!"

Les paled, Father Timothy removed his fingers from his ears, took one look at Lester and grinned, "Son, it is most wise never to anger those of the female persuasion. They have a way with retaliation that make war look civilized."

"Amen to that." Les whispered amid a gale of laughter from the rest of us.

Midway through the supper, Ben and Bobby joined us, sliding into two unoccupied seats at the table. "Ben? Are you feeling better?" His slow and steady nod made me feel a little better that he would recover fully, as did the smile from Bobby.

"Bomber. He'll be fine. Who ever it was gave him a small dose of Ketamine, so he'll be fine as soon as he gets some food in him." I handed Ben a plate loaded with a couple of slices of pizza.

"This should help then." I tried giving him a warm smile, but I'm sure it came out looking forced. Ben graciously accepted the plate and began to devour the pizza like there was no tomorrow. In a matter of minutes the pizza was gone and he started to look much better, his face was starting to regain it's normal color and he didn't seem as sluggish.

"Bobby, have you heard anything about Kelly?"

"Honey, Scratch said she should be fine. A little groggy, but she'll be fine." Pop reassured me, wrapping me in a hug. "She's a good dog, she's strong and she'll be good as new in the morning."

"Thanks Pop."

Ben was watching our exchange and waited for me to seat myself back at the table. "A dog was knocked out too?"

"Yeah. Kelly's our K-9, and she was found right before Zero found you." I began to peel the label off the water bottle I was holding, trying not to get emotional about Kelly. I really, really liked her. Okay, I admit, I'm not really a dog person. I know I like Bob, but only because he left presents on Barnyards front lawn when I needed him to. But Kelly, I genuinely liked her. She and I kind of clicked and she never horked anything up in my presence, she never left me presents to clean up and she certainly never ate anything of mine, namely the couch or my car seats.

"From the way you're smiling, I take it you like her." He said softly, trying to make polite conversation.

Tilting my head to look at him through slitted eyes, I figured I could talk to him politely surrounded by my boys and family. "Yeah. She's great. She had all kinds of training, so she's pretty versatile"

"Guess she has to be to be part of your security company." I bobbed my head and smiled.

"She's the only dog I've never had to clean up after, so that puts her pretty high up in my opinion right now." I joked, trying to keep the mood light.

He sighed and began to twiddle his thumbs. "I remember the dog I had in high school. Checkers. He went with me everywhere. Even to graduation, he sat right next to my Ma. Sad day when he had to be put down. My Ma cried for days." He sighed again and looked me in the eyes. The piercing gaze he held on me made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, almost like the look I used to get from my math teacher when I got caught talking in class.

Deciding to break the sudden tension, I changed the subject. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Yeah. Hard to keep a Jennings man down." He stated matter of factly. "It was weird, one minute I was walking out to check the electrical line, the next thing I knew that Zero fella was helping me up."

"Do you remember getting hit with anything, like a dart or something getting sprayed on you?"

"Unh uh. I just remember feeling really dizzy and falling." He held his hands out as he stretched and I began to get that familiar feeling in my gut again. Knowing I should trust my gut even after it had been seemingly wrong, I decided to make my escape.

"Well, I hope you feel back to normal by morning. I know how getting drugged can sap your strength. You should have your mom take you home for the night. We've both got an early start tomorrow."

"Thanks Stephanie. Good night." He rose from the table and collected his mother before heading out the door.

I found Evan chatting with Junior, Cal and Hal. Sitting in Cal's lap I teased Cal and Hal. "So what's this I hear about a big bad fly attacking your tattoo, Cal?"

He frowned, creases forming on his forehead, making his tattoo seem to look a little more menacing. "Not funny, Bomber."

"Hey, I never said it was funny. What I do think is funny, Hal tried to help you remove it." I used finger quotes when I mentioned the word 'help' At that point Hal groaned, dropped his head into his hands.

"Bomber. You can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. So, I'm guessing Brown told you about me removing the fly, huh?" He raised his head up enough to glare at Bobby before turning his gaze on me.

"Oh, no! Don't you try and get out of this one Buddy. You knew full well that it was going to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch and yet you still yanked it off of his head like it was nothing." I turned to Cal and gave him a kissy face. "My poor Cal. Do I have to give you a kissy on your boo boo to make it all better?"

By this point Hal had forgotten about me teasing him and he was chuckling at the look on Cal's face. Instead of frowning, Cal grinned and leaned his head down for me to give him a quick peck on his said boo boo. SMACK! Planting one dead center of his forehead, Cal sighed with pleasure, I could feel Cal's arms tighten around me in a hug as he relished the feeling of me in his arms. I leaned my head back laying it on one of his massive pectoral muscles as I looked across the table to Evan who was watching our exchange.

"Angel. Careful, you'll spoil him." He warned with a smile.

"Awww... but he such a cutey. How can you not love this face?" I grabbed Cal's face with my hand scrunching it up into a squished kissy face.

Pointing right at Cal, Evan joked, "That is not cute. That is one ugly mug." I started to laugh and in doing so, dropped my hand into my lap, releasing Cal.

"Hey. I'm cute! Some even say lovable." Cal stated defensively, hugging me tighter. "You just think your shit don't stink now that you've got the girl." Cal popped off with, "But does she know your quirks? She know about your history?" Dropping his voice an octave lower, "Does she know about, you know, your problem?"

"Problem?" Evan looked puzzled, scratching his head.

"Yeah. Small-pecker-itis." Cal's booming laugh filled the room, making the other conversations stop abruptly before they resumed. I tried not to laugh, but Cal's laughter was infectious.

Trying to save face for Evan, I shot back, "Cal. I think you got it all wrong. It's more like Holy-Shit-It's-Huge-itis." Cal's mouth dropped open and Evan just beamed as I had saved the day.

"Angel, you're the best." He held out his arms, so I slid off of Cal's lap went around the table to plant myself in his lap. Sighing in satisfaction, I relaxed as they began on a new subject.

"Babe?" Ranger laid a hand on my shoulder. "Outside." I nodded and followed him out to the porch swing where he had taken a seat.

"Something up?" I asked, leaning into him as we moved back and forth on the swing.

"I watched your conversation with Ben tonight. You still have uneasy feelings about him." It was more a statement than a question, but I knew he wanted to know more.

"Yeah. I was trying to be polite, but I still get a creepy feeling about him. Something's not right. I don't know how to explain it." I huffed out and began to play with my fingers to not think about it too much.

Ranger's hands stilled mine, as he asked, "Babe. I trust you. If you still think he's the one, we'll keep him covered." I laid down on the swing, my head in his lap. His fingers played with one of my curls as we moved gently back and forth. "You nervous about tomorrow?"

"Nope." I wasn't. Remembering how unsure and nervous I was before getting married to 'the dick', I was surprised at how at ease I was about the whole wedding this go around. "Feeling just fine. The only one I'm worried about is Evan. I just don't want him to pass out or anything. That would suck."

His gentle laugh made me smile softly, "Babe. If I have to order him not to pass out, I'll do it, just to make you happy." I sighed and decided to let Ranger in on my feelings at the moment.

"You know I still love you right?" I asked, my eyes closed, savoring the closeness of him.

"Quierda, I know." He brushed a stray lock of hair back into place before continuing. "So what's your plans for tomorrow morning?"

"Nothing until 1100. Hector is going to redo my nails, then we're going to get our hair done, then get dressed, then photos and then the ceremony at 1500. _And then... _I get to party!" I grinned and toyed with his ponytail where it had fallen over his shoulder. "What about you and the boys?"

"Normal day until 1300." He stated, in a relaxed voice. "We'll be dressing in the bunkhouse and should be ready for photos at 1330."

"Expecting trouble?" I asked, trying to hold in my smile.

"Babe?" I was pretty sure Ranger didn't know what I meant by trouble.

"I mean taking a half hour to dress? What's this world coming to?" My smile broke through, before I could clamp down my blank face.

"Babe, I figured it would take at least twenty minutes for Hector to doctor up Hal's face." My face lost it's grin and gained a frown. Shit! I forgot about Hal's face.

"I'm just glad Connie packed enough make-up to cover the whole Eastern Seaboard. She'll have something that will match his skin tone. And Hector's a wiz when it comes to covering his tattoos, so Hal's bruises should be a piece of cake."

"Don't forget to give Cal Ram's grooms gift before you go to bed tonight. I'll distract Ram long enough for you to give it to him."

"Thanks Batman. You're awesome." He gave me his famous 2000 watt grin, his eyes crinkled at the corners, eyes warm and bright.

"We better get back inside, it's almost time for bed." He teased and tugged one of my curls.

Rising to our feet, we walked back into the house to find the guys trying to arm wrestle on the kitchen table. Everyone was cheering on either Hal or Bones, who were locked in battle. It seemed to be a draw for the better part of five minutes, before I couldn't take it anymore. Winking to Connie, she leaned over to Bones and planted a kiss right on his cheek, distracting him long enough for Hal to slam Bone's hand down onto the table for the win.

"Sorry Bones. But you beat Hal all the time, and we decided to even the playing field a little." Hal grinned and slapped Bones on the shoulder.

"Hey, could have been worse. Connie could have kissed me instead." Hal teased, garnering a sheepish grin from Bones.

Bones pulled Connie into his lap nuzzling her neck. "Yeah, I'm pretty lucky she likes me." Connie flushed crimson and turned her face into his chest.

Laughter filled the air, until I started to nod off in Evan's lap a while later. "Angel. I think it's time you hit the hay. We've got a big day ahead tomorrow." Prying my eyes open I glanced to Ranger who gave me his almost inperceptable nod.

"Ram? A word please." Ranger rose to his feet and led Evan outside for a quick chat. Before the door even closed behind them, I jumped up grabbed Cal by the arm and dragged him into the study.

"Bomber? You okay? What's the matter?" His hand rested on his side arm, ready for a fight.

"It's okay, I just needed to give you Evan's grooms present from me for tomorrow. I didn't want him to see it beforehand, so Ranger's distracting him right now."

Cal shook his head, a small smile playing upon his lips. "You're a trip, Bomber." He shoved the gift under his shirt and after dropping a quick peck on my cheek, he made his escape to the bunkhouse under the cover of darkness. I returned to the kitchen to find Evan and Ranger waiting for me.

"Angel? Where's Cal?" He inquired, looking behind me for his Best Man.

"He went back to the bunkhouse already. I'm ready for bed, wanna walk me to the room, Baby?" I watched as the others mysteriously faded away,leaving us alone.

"Angel." Evan's voice deepened, and I was pretty sure I just ruined my panties from just the sound of his voice. "As much as I'd like to find out, I don't think we'll have the time." I cringed and realized I had thought out loud once again.

"Shit. Out loud, huh?"

"Yeah, Angel. Out loud. But it's alright. I love listening to your inner dialogues, gives me the advantage sometimes."

I slapped his arm gently, "So planning to use that information to invade Plum City any time soon?" All I could think to myself was, Please! Please! Oh, God please say yes!

A hearty laugh filled the air as Evan watched as a glimmer of hope sparked in my eyes. "Angel. I swear, as soon as we can we will. I promise." Without meaning to, a pout formed on my face and I sighed heavily.

"I guess. But just for the record, I think waiting sucks." His hand worked it's way to my lower back, guiding me out of the kitchen and to the stairs. "So, any second thoughts?"

He stopped at the bottom stair, allowing me to turn around to face him. "Angel. It's a little late for that. The wedding is tomorrow."

"I just want it to be over already, I wanna have some wedding cake." His grin matched mine, as I slid my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Are you sure you can't help me with my panties?" I asked again, my voice a little huskier than before.

Evan growled 'Sorry' and managed to kiss my socks off instead. After a few breathless minutes later, we both parted, breathing heavily, eyes hooded with desire and dirty thought racing through our minds. "I promise, as soon as we can manage to escape from the guests, you're all mine." He whispered into my ear as he nuzzled his face into my loose curls.

"M'kay." Gee, good answer Steph. Way to use your brain. God, I am such a Doof sometimes. Evan placed a slow but sweet kiss on the tip of my nose before he turned on his heels and walked out of the house. Calling over his shoulder before the screen door slammed behind him, Evan said, "Good night Angel. Sleep tight. I love you."

"I love you too Baby." I watched his shadow make it's way across the yard towards the bunkhouse before I climbed the stairs.

Strolling into the room to find Connie, Lula and Val sitting across from Les on the couch made for a funny scene. Les was gossiping about Rangeman with them as they filled him in on the latest in the Berg. "And so Binkie asked her out, but she thought it was funny. So she starts to laugh and ends up knocking over her soda right into his lap. It was so damn funny watching him jump up and her trying to blot it off his pants. Once she got a 'feel' of his equipment, she gets all interested in him. By this time, he's all pissed and storms out leaving her there mumbling about hot he was." The girls were roaring at this point and I shook my head, as I leaned against the side of the couch, arms and ankles crossed.

"Did Les ever tell you about the time I caught him whacking off in the supply room?" Les paled and gave me a look, pleading for me not to continue. Ignoring him, I managed to tell him about how I ran out of paper during a print out of research and went into the supply room to find more. "I heard this small grunting noise from behind the boxes of paper and what do I find? Lester and Little Lester having a little chat. Only Little Lester wasn't very little." The girls all shrieked at this point, while Lester turned a shade lighter than crimson and glared at me. "Instead of him stopping in horror, he looks at me and finished!"

"Oh... my... gosh!" Mary Lou turned to Les. "You are such a dirty boy!"

Realizing defense was the best offense, Les said, "Well, I was almost there when she walked in and I didn't want to deal with blue balls, so I had to finish."

"Oh, yeah you finished." Connie snickered, wiping away tears from laughing so hard.

"He finished all over the paper, the staples, the floor, the wall..." I nearly choked adding that last little bit.

"Fine there Missy." Les glared at me. "Want me to tell them about the inprompt-to serenade you gave all the guys the other day?" I cocked my head trying to think about what the hell he was talking about. He seemed to realize I had no clue, so he had no problem filling me in. "Remember about having to shut the window?" Realization crept over me and I wondered if it were possible to die of embarrassment.

"Les..." Les cut me off before I could beg him to stop.

"Beautiful. All's fair." He grinned and jumped right into telling them about Evan and I having sex with the window open giving the entire group of guys a quite loud demo. "And the next night, Ram comes running into the bunkhouse wrapped in a towel. He's screaming 'I think I broke her! Damn it! I broke her!' He grabs Bobby and drags him back to the house. Of course, we're confused so we follow, only to find Beautiful here, passed out. She had what she calls a "Doomsday' orgasm and passed out. She wakes up and realizes that we're all standing there and she pulls the pillow over her head mortified. It was great." He was rolling on the floor next to the girls, while they were laughing their asses off. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my jammies to change for bed.

After changing and the laughing hyenas had quieted, I found sleeping on the bed uncomfortable, due to the fact Lula had managed to turn almost sideways and I was teetering on the edge of the bed. I sneaked a glance over in Les's direction and saw his eyes still open. Tip toeing over to him, I whispered softly, "Les? You still awake?"

"Beautiful? Can't sleep?" He sat up on the couch, exposing his bare chest to the streaming moonlight.

"Lula." I jerked my thumb towards the bed and he grinned.

"Climb in. I can manage to fit us both if we both lie on our sides, front to back." He laid back down and held the covers open for me. Sliding next to his warm body was relaxing, his body heat washed over me making me feel all cozy.

Using his arm as my pillow, I snuggled back into his body, molding it to his. "Thanks Les. Love you."

"Love you too Beautiful." His slow and steady breathing a few moments later told me he was fast asleep. Knowing Les could fall asleep as fast as he had, let me know that he had trained his body to sleep on command. After years in the Ranger's he had learned to catch his sleep when he could, because the next chance might not be for a few days. I knew Evan had trained himself that was as well. I just wish I could learn. I laid there for what seemed like hours, trying to fall asleep, before exhaustion took over and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

**A/N: So, who's the stalker if Ben was knocked out? Is Steph's spidey sense failing her at such a critical time? What will Steph and Ram's wedding day hold for them? And poor Les, getting caught in the supply room! What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall right then. Hell! What I wouldn't give to have just been in the supply room with him period! **

**Poor Mary Alice! I had the same problem at my mother's wedding rehearsal when I was 12. Unfortunately it was in a church and not in a barn, so the clean up took much longer. Eww, sorry! **

**I know Steph is dying to be with Evan already, and I can't blame her. But I had to hold off them getting together until after the wedding. 1: There isn't enough time for them to do what they really want to do and 2: they can't seem to find a spot that's secluded enough. DAMN!**

**Please review... I'm almost at the end and I'd love to see who you all think is the stalker.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from Steph and her friends, or Booth and Brennan. Dang, that sucks!**

**Thanks to all those who left reviews. You are all SOOOO awesome! You rock and make me do my little happy dance. *happy dance, happy dance, I'm gonna do my happy dance, hey hey hey hey!* Sorry it took so long but RL took most of my time. And *GASP* I didn't even get to read FF everyday like I normally do either! I know! What's wrong with this picture? Now that things at work are back to somewhat normal, I should be getting a few days off this week. *crossing fingers and praying desperately* Hope you enjoy what I've managed to write here and there in the last two weeks.**

**Hisssss... hissss... hissss... **What the heck is that sound? I rolled over to see what had made those annoying sounds and promptly fell onto the floor. Shaking my head, I realized I had fallen off of Lester's chest and right on to the floor. CRAP!

"Beautiful? You okay?" Les groaned as he leaned over the edge to look at me sprawled on the floor, my hair a halo around my head.

"Yeah. I woke up and forgot I was laying with you." I admitted sheepishly.

"Beautiful, you were laying _**on**_ me, not _**with**_ me." His sleepy grin made me smile until I heard the hissing noise again and frowned. "What the hell is that?" He rose off of the couch, grabbed his side arm and tip toed with me to the door. He motioned for me to remain behind him as he took point and cracked the door open slowly and silently. Before I could realize what had happened, Les reached out and dragged a body into the room, effectively silencing his victim with a well placed chop to the man's vagus nerve.

I glanced down to see Hal unconscious at my feet. Dropping like a stone to the floor, I held his head in my lap as I stroked his forehead and hair. "Hal, Honey. Hal." I whispered into his ear, hoping it would help him to come around quicker. In less than thirty seconds, Hal's eyes opened and I clamped my hand over his mouth to keep him from talking. "Hal, Honey. It's me. Relax." I hissed into his ear. Upon realizing it was me, Hal relaxed and sighed knowing he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, so I removed my hand.

"Sorry, Bomber." He apologized. Before I could ask him what he was up to, Les's arms snaked out once more dragging Cal and Tank into the room.

"What in the hell are you all doing?" I whispered loudly, glancing at the girls to make sure they were still sound asleep. Thankfully, they still were.

"We were just decorating a little." Hal explained holding up an opened condom wrapper. "We were making balloon animals for you." Unable to stop them, my eyes rolled all of their own accord.

"Condom balloon animals? Really? What are you, four?" I asked snatching the limp condom from his hand.

"But, we were just trying to give you the same thing we always do when one of us gets married." Cal whined, his hand rubbed over his tattoo.

"Cal. When was the last time one of the guys got married?" I asked, hands on my hips, eyes shooting daggers at him.

Due to Cal's hesitation, Tank answered for him, "You and Ram are our first. Jackal almost got married six years ago when we were getting ready to leave on a mission, but it didn't turn out as planned. We found Jackal's chick in bed with her professor. Needless to say, the wedding didn't happen." I cringed at the thought of a broken Merry Man on a secret government mission. It did not sit well with me.

"Alright." I had had enough. "You all get out there and clean up that mess. I refuse to let Momma and the girls see that when they get up. What about Angie and MA? They have impressionable minds you know! Besides, keep this up and I'll sic Grandma on you all." I threatened, shaking my finger in their horror stricken faces. "Do you want that to happen?"

"No Ma'am!" They piped up, disturbing Lula enough for her to turn over babbling about her 'cutesy wootsey Tankie in his itty bitty man-kini'. I glanced over at Tank who had, _I SWEAR,_ turned three shades lighter as he paled and grumbled something about killing Lula in her sleep slowly.

Finally aware that I was standing in front of the guys in nothing but a half t-shirt and my high-cut bikini cotton panties, I squeaked and hid behind Les. "Get out now! Clean up you mess. I'll see you in the morning." I watched them turn to open the door. "And I swear, if any of you try this little stunt again tonight, I'll glue your dick and balls to your ass and send you into the closest titty bar." Cal tried not to laugh, Hal looked just all out terrified, while Tank gave me a look like' yeah like you and what army?' "Tank, don't make me have Grandma do it." He scooted out of the room so fast I thought I was going to pee my pants from holding in my laughter, in his haste he forgot to take Hal and Cal with him. Pointing to them, I added, "Get out before I wake up the girls and tell them you were trying to go through their panties. Pervs!"

They dropped their blank faces and slid out of the door quickly, leaving Lester and I listening to Connie's light snoring. Slumping against the door, I sighed and rested my head against the solid wood. "Beautiful, we better get back to bed. It's only 0113, and you my dear, need your sleep."

Glancing at the bed again, I shook my head. "There's no way I'm fitting on there. Wanna pull the couch into a bed?" Les nodded silently and after a few minutes we managed to pull it out and make the bed with clean sheets. Snuggling into Les's warm body, I soon found myself falling asleep quickly. Just before I nodded off, I felt Les drop a slow and lingering kiss to the top of my head.

"I love you, Stephanie. Always have and I always will."

The sounds of giggling woke me from a dead sleep. Keeping my eyes closed I could hear Mare, Connie and Lula snapping pictures. Popping one eye open I observed them clustered around the opposite side of the bed, snapping pictures of a sleeping Les with their cameras phones. "What 'cha doing?" I whispered.

"Blackmail photos." Connie grinned and turned her phone around so I could witness the photographic evidence of Lester sucking his thumb, still fast asleep. Awww! How cute!

"You are so evil." I slowly slid out from under the covers and grabbed my phone as well. I tip toed to his side of the bed and snapped a photo for myself. Slumping down into the recliner, I made said photo, the background for my phone. I think the constant giggles and a snort of laughter from Mare finally woke Les. He groaned and stretched, flexing his incredible chest and ab muscles, leaving the girls and I a little flustered. Hey! I can't help it. When one is presented with some of the worlds best looking muscles, one can't help but drool a little. So sue me!

"Mornin." He hissed as he finished stretching.

"Mornin." Came a four way reply from the girls and I, still staring at his gorgeous chest. He glanced down and chuckled, "See somethin' you like?" He dragged the sheet up to his neck.

"Uh... yeah." Connie replied before realizing what she had said. "Eeep!" She blushed and raced into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"What time is it Beautiful?" Damn, he looked so damn sexy like this. Hair mussed from sleep, eyes half open, a relaxed look on his face.

"Uh... 0750." I replied looking at my watch. "We better head downstairs for breakfast."

"Un uh." Les shook his head. "Momma is bringing you your breakfast up here. I gotta go let her know we're all up now." He warily watched Mare and Lula stare at him as he stood, wrapping the flat sheet around his lower half. "Uh, can you hand me my pants?" I glanced down to see his pants draped over the arm of the chair I was sitting in. Handing them to him, he stepped into them and pulled them up under the sheet, allowing the sheet to fall only after he had buttoned and zipped them. Damn! I know, I know. I'm getting married today, but come on! Les is hot!

Les strode out of the room allowing us girls to recoup from the muscle feast we just had. "Whew! He got a body to die for!" Lula sighed, fanning herself.

Unable to stop myself, I popped off with, "What's the matter? Cutesy wootsey Tankie not cuttin' it in his itty bitty man-kini?"

"How you know about that?" Miffed, she asked.

"You talk in your sleep. It's kinda cute, but the moment you start talking about you and Tank doing the nasty, I'm going to smother you with a pillow." I warned, she grinned and rolled her eyes.

"You jus' jealous gurl."

Sarcastically, I answered, "Yeah. That's it." Shaking my head I watched Les make his way back into the room carrying a huge tray of food, with Momma in tow carrying a tray of her own.

"Mornin' Darlin', girls." She sing songed.

"Morning Momma." We all replied in unison, like a kindergarten class greeting their teacher in the morning.

"Eat up, we got a lot of primping to do!" Momma reminded us, "I know you all plan on relaxing a little bit, but we don't have time. Your hair will take a good hour and a half Darlin'. We have to weave that ribbon into your hair as we go, don't forget. Your mother wanted to let me know she has your Great Grandma Plum's sapphire earrings, and Edna said not to forget your grandpa's watch."

I walked over to the closet and dragged out the small box, Momma had given me the first time I had been to the ranch. I set it on the desk before giving her a smile. "Thanks Momma."

After a hearty breakfast and a couple of glasses of OJ, I laid back on the bed, leaning against Les. "You almost ready to give in and show us your dress already?" Mare asked, playing with my fingers as she laid on the floor next to the bed.

"I guess." I was finally going to be able to show them what I had hid very carefully these last few weeks. "But I think I should wait until just before we have to leave for the pictures. Manny should be here soon, anyway." As if on my cue, a knock sounded at the door. It opened to reveal Manny with a _hugely _expensive camera dangling from around his neck.

"Hey, Wifey. Thought I'd come up and check to see when you're going to start prepping." He asked, snapping a few photos of all of us lounging around on the bed and floor together.

"I should have Hector help." I mused and before I could say anything more, Manny rushed out of the room, like a man on a mission. A few minutes later, Manny returned with Hector in tow.

"Estephania, estas bien?" Concern covered his face as he searched mine for an answer. (You okay?)

"Estoy bien." (I'm fine.)

"Can you tell him I just wanted to talk to him about fixing Hal's face with the make up." I explained to Les, hoping he'd translate, even though I secretly knew Hector understood me.

"Ella solo queria hablar con usted sobre la fijacion de la cara de Hal con el maquillaje." (She wants to know if you'll fix Hal's face with makeup?)

Smiling, Hector agreed. "Si, lo puedo arreglar. Voy a necesitar algo de encubrimiento y el polvo de la cara." (Yeah, I can fix him up. I'll need some coverup and face powder.)

Les relayed the message and Connie handed him a huge bag of makeup. Expecting Les to translate she leaned over to Hector and kissed his cheek. "Hector. This is my back up kit. Thanks for helping Steph, you're an angel." After Les translated, Hector blushed and thanked her before heading out of the room.

"Well, let's get this show on the road!" I shouted and scrambled off of the bed to the bathroom.

Sitting in the chair in front of the bathroom mirror watching Connie and Mare work their magic on my hair was an awe inspiring event. They way they brushed, teased and twisted my hair into submission was like watching masters at work. Connie combed and detangled my hair as best as she could before Mare tamed it into tiny braids gathered on the crown of my head. They worked several lengths of the specially made 'bomber ribbon' through the braided hair, and forming huge barrel curls with the remainder of the hair hanging down my back. When I finally realized they were done, I almost cried! My hair was a work of art. So beautiful. Contemporary yet traditional at the same time. It fit me perfectly.

As I was standing, I heard a sharp intake of breath. I turned to find my mother and grandma staring at me with tears in their eyes. "Stephanie. It's beautiful!" My mother approached carefully and gingerly spun me to take it in from all different angles. "Mary Lou and Connie, you did a wonderful job." They nodded silently, not used to hearing my mother sing their praises.

"Aunty Stephy! You're pretty!" MA bounced into the bathroom and grinned. "You look like a real live princess."

"Thanks Sweety." I patted her on the head and turned to those standing behind me. "Who's next?"

Hector soon arrived and worked his way through the throng of females, touching up their nails and giving makeup suggestions via Lester. All too soon he was done and left us to finish getting ready.

As the girls rotated getting their hair done, I applied my make up while Les sat on the couch watching TV with MA and Angie. "Les? Do you need to get ready soon?" I asked, swiping the third coat of waterproof mascara onto my eyelashes.

"Yeah. I'll wait until you all are finished with your hair and make up. I'll change in Justin's room. Won't take me 5 minutes." He grinned as I shook my head.

"That's so not fair. Why does it take guys just a few minutes to get ready, but it takes women hours?"

"Genetics." Les chuckled before turning his attention to the little ones sitting on the floor in front of him. "Please tell me you two won't end up like them?" He jerked his thumb at the rest of us in the room.

"Nope!" MA answered. "I hate makeup. It stinks. Besides, I don't need that stuff. I hate boys." Les grinned.

"You hate boys?"

"Yup. They have cooties and are totally gross." She stated crossing her arms over her chest.

"What about me?" Les asked, feigning hurt.

"You don't count Uncle Lester. You're a grown up. You lost all your cooties already." Angie stated matter of factly. "Besides, all the girls at school think you're cute. You can't be cute and have cooties at the same time. It doesn't work that way." I had to stifle a laugh at Angie's explanation. My mother on the other hand was mortified.

"Angie! Things like that don't come out of young ladies' mouths." She reminded.

Breaking the tongue lashing I was sure Angie was going to receive, a gentle knock on the door preceded Sissy walking in. "SISSY!" I shrieked and wrapped her in a massive hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

Kissing my cheek, she pulled back slightly looking at the others that surrounded us. "Uh, hi."

"Everyone, I'd like for you to meet Sissy. Deeter, Evan's friend is her husband. And she's the one who made my cake."

I made the introductions as she stood by saying hello to everyone. "Hey, Les." She all but blushed at seeing Les surrounded by all the women.

"Yo." He grinned and gave her a swift hug.

Curious, I asked, "Everything all set?"

"Yeah. The cake's in place and I asked one of the guys to keep an eye on it. Mack's cake is ready to go too. You want to see it real quick?"

"Sure. But Les has to go with us. He's my official bodyguard right now."

The frown on her face was a tell tale give away that no one had told her what had transpired in the last two days. Filling her in as Les cleared the way for us, she practically vibrated with anger. "Holy shit! Are you sure you want to go through with this?" She asked skeptical of my decision to continue with the wedding.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. The boys are on high alert and I should be okay." I reassured her. "Besides, Evan and I can't wait any longer."

Walking into the barn, Sissy covered my eyes with her hand gently before leading me over to the cake table. Removing her hands, I slowly opened my eyes to see my wedding cake in all it's glory. I began to tear up and I couldn't have been any happier. It was gorgeous. The surrounding oh's and ah's were enough for me to know that the others thought it was just as spectacular as I did. "It's beautiful! Thank you Sissy."

"Turn around." I turned around to see another table set up with the grooms cake. I started to laugh, using Les to hold myself up. It was the Superman emblem surrounded by smaller action figures of the Justice League.

A familiar chuckle behind us made us turn around to see Manny, snapping photos while trying not to laugh too hard. "I knew you called him Superman, but I didn't know he took that seriously." He pointed first to the wedding cake toppers of Superman and Wonder Woman, and then to the grooms cake. "You're good for his ego."

"He knows it too." I grinned and spun a 360 to take the whole decorated barn in. It was beautiful. Fall colors surrounded us, pumpkins and bales of hay placed around the outer edges, the alter covered in chrysanthemums in falls colors made it look like I had envisioned it. Perfect. Swags of ivory satin draped from the ceiling, giving the one side of the barn to be used for the ceremony a cathedral ceiling look, well hidden pot lights turned upwards splashed different fall colors on the satin, lighting the barn beautifully. The tables were set with ivory tablecloths and an assortment of fall colored accent overlays, the center pieces were small vases of chrysanthemums, tiny pumpkins and tiny ears of dried Indian corn. Sleek satin bows of pumpkin orange, succulent plum, rich browns, deep crimsons and golden yellows adorned the backs of the chairs. The decorator had outdone herself by placing small vintage handmade silver bells on each table.

Carol and Ben walked in carrying the last pieces for the chaffing dishes, placing them on the dual buffett tables. "Steph. You look beautiful!"

"Thanks. How are things coming along?"

"Almost ready. We're working on the roast beef right now, the pork tenderloins are ready and Mr. Manoso's dish is finishing right now. It will be ready just before the reception. The desserts are being delivered in about..." She checked her watch, "Twenty minutes. So, I have to go move a few things in the fridge. Have fun, and remember, this is your day, so enjoy it." She smiled and left us in peace.

Ben remained behind setting up the tables while the girls, Les and I talked. After fifteen minutes, I glanced at my watch. "Shoot! We need to get a move on. We have less than an hour before pictures." We hurried out of the barn and back into the house.

I sat back and touched my makeup as the girls dressed, and Les stepped out to dress himself. Ten minutes later a knock on the door preceded Les's voice. "Every one decent?"

"Yeah." I shouted through the door, before he walked in.

"So how do I look?" One look at him, all the women and girls in the room stopped what they were doing and stared. I'm pretty sure we were drooling as well. Standing before us was 'Sexy Suave Santos'. Les looked so damn sexy in his tux, I was flabbergasted. "That good huh?"

"Les, if you were any hotter, your tux would be on fire." I kissed his cheek as he soaked in all the comments. Even my mother looked a little stunned at how handsome he was in his attire. Of course Grandma made her way behind Les and managed to get in a quick pinch.

"Yow!" He jumped and turned his body so that his back was to the wall. "Mrs. Mazur. Please!" He begged, looking to me for help.

"Grandma! I told you, you had to be good until after the ceremony. They're all yours after I say 'I do'."

"Well, Dang! I couldn't help myself. This little hottie right here made me do it. Just look at his cute little buns!" She giggled and rattled her false teeth in her mouth. Damn! She's up to something.

As Connie, Val, Mare and Lula stepped out of the bathroom in their dresses, hair pulled back similar to mine, making us all gasp in appreciation. "Wow! You're gorgeous!"

"What? I wasn't beautiful before?" Lula huffed out, miffed.

"Honey, you have always been beautiful. You're just radiant right now. Just look at you!" Momma gushed, saving my ass on this one. Lula smoothed the dress a little as she looked at herself in the mirror, liking what she saw.

"Lula, you're going to knock Tanks' socks off." I warned in a teasing voice.

She grinned, "Damn Skippy!"

"Alright, alright. You all need to step out for a few minutes. I have to help Beautiful into her dress. You can come back in in a minute." Les herded the women into the hallway, before closing the door behind them. "You ready Beautiful?"

I strode forward into his arms and hugged him for dear life. "Am I doing the right thing, Les?"

"Stephanie. Ram loves you more than life itself. If I were him, I would have married you years ago." He lifted my chin enough to place a soft kiss upon my lips. "I love you Stephanie."

Hearing my full name on his lips made me want to cry. I loved him so much as my best friend, it hurt to see the realization in his eyes that there was no longer a chance of him ever capturing my heart as his own. "Les, you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, Beautiful. I know. Just make sure he makes you happy." He sighed. "Let's get you dressed. The natives are getting restless." I could hear the women in the hallway becoming impatient. Lula and Connie were teasing my sister about the cleavage she never knew she had.

After slipping on my undergarments, I pulled the garment bag out of the closet. Les helped me slip on the dress and zipped up the side zipper. I stepped back to see tears shining in Lester's eyes. He opened the door to let the women in and I don't think there was a dry eye among them. My mother inched her way over to me and drew me into her arms, "Stephanie. I can't believe this is really happening." She reached into her clutch to pull out a small black jewelry box. "These were you Great- Great Grandma Plum's sapphire earrings. I want you to wear them as something borrowed." She placed the box into my hands and I tried desperately not to cry.

The next thing I knew, Connie was leaning against me handing me a small pink and ivory striped bag. "The girls and I got this for you. It's something new." I pulled out the tissue to reveal a gorgeous handmade bridal garter belt decked out in Army colors with a small miniature brass shell casings as the adornment.

"It's... it's... beautiful." I stammered, while my mother gave my grandmother a puzzled look. "It's perfect." Wiping a tear from my cheek, Lula laughed.

"Only you White Gurl. Shell casings?" I held it up for a better look and the casing caught the light just right. Dropping my hand I realized that I had underestimated my stalker. Placing the garter on the desk carefully, I turned to Les.

"Les. I need to talk to Ranger. Now!" His blank face slammed in place and he raced out of the room at warp speed.

Two minutes later the room was full of tuxedo clad Rangemen, except one, Evan. He had stationed himself outside the door, within earshot, but out of sight. "Alright ladies. I hate to do this to you, but I need to talk to the boys alone."

"Shit. I hate when you do that." Connie complained. Val led the girls out the door, followed by my mother, grandmother, Momma and finally Lula and Mare.

Once I was the only female in attendance, Ranger piped up. "Babe? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I think you need to look at something first." I pointed to the garter and frowned. He made his way to the desk picking up the garter.

"FUCK!" He swore, dropping the garter onto the desk, running his hands through his free flowing hair.

Evan came rushing into the room. "Fuck tradition! What the hell is going on?" Ranger's scowl indicated it was not a good thing.

"Baby!" I whined. "You were supposed to wait."

"Too late Angel. What is going on?" He brushed the back of his finger down my cheek, showing in such a small gesture how much he loved me.

"I think we have_ two _someones hell bent on terrorizing me."

"What?" Les shocked me by glaring at Ranger. "Why didn't you think of that?" Ranger uncharacteristically allowed his hackles to raise for Les's remark, but as he was about to lay into him, I raised my hand to stop all their motions and talk.

"Les!" I nearly shouted to get his attention. "Take a close look where the firing pin hits the bottom of the casings." Realizing he would have to touch my garter, he grinned, but did as he was asked. His eyes narrowed slightly to focus on the bottoms of the casings.

"They're different." He shrugged as he quickly dropped the garter back onto the desk.

A slow grin spread across Evan and Cal's faces. But only Cal was foolish enough to open his mouth and insert his size 16 foot. "Hot Damn! Bombshell Bounty Hunter does it again!"

I grimaced at what Cal had just blurted out, I hated when they called me that. Only the newspapers back home called me that. Miffed that Cal hadn't called me Bomber, I lowered my voice and dropped my gaze to the floor. "The casings have different markings from the firing pins, because it was two different weapons that made those marks."

Bobby was shaking his head, "What if it's only one guy using two different weapons?"

"It's not. I know who the stalkers are."

"Who?" Evan's voice dropped an octave, the fire in his green eyes flared, showing his rage.

"Besides Ben? Someone else we've been working with. Someone who's been conspicuously absent from the ranch in the last few days."

"PLUM! Enough already. Who is it?" Tank's booming voice reverberated against the walls of the room. Shit! He was pulling rank. I hated when he did that.

"Bear." I stated toying with the crystals on the bodice of my dress.

"Smoltz?" Evan growled. "Fucking piece of shit. I'm going to kill him!"

"Ram!" Ranger quieted Evan with only his name being spoken. "How did you know, Babe?"

"The pieces kinda fell together when I saw the garter Connie gave me. The marks from the firing pins on the brass casings. I know that the Sheriff's Department keeps records of them from each case. Why didn't Bear mention it when we gave him the box of casings that Momma opened? Or when he received the casings from before? I figured out that it was because he either didn't care or he already knew what rifles had produced them. Being as thorough as he is, I figured it was the latter."

I leaned against the arm of the couch, so as to not crush my dress. "Besides, when you were talking about the motorcycle oil, the butchering and the local connection, it all fit. He rides an old beat up dirt bike to and from the station house. He was raised to hunt and therefore, if my assumptions are correct, learned to butcher and process his kill. He's a local, he knows every hideout and hidden spot along every road around here. Besides, he had to take the defensive driving course in his law enforcement training as well as his firearm training."

"Angel. He's a Sheriff, are you sure." Evan clasp my hand in his, "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Positive." I crossed my arms and gave him a scowl, to ensure he knew I was certain.

"What about Ben?" Bobby asked, trying to make the connection.

"He was the back up plan. I think Brittany didn't think Bear would finish what he started. So she sent Ben in as second string. Personally, I don't think he knew that Bear was the primary aggressor."

"So what role did he play?" Hal asked, looking much better now that a thick layer of makeup covered his bruises.

"He's the one who sedated Kelly, plus I think that he inadvertently dosed himself. Besides, I think he was threatened into action."

"How so?" Tank asked, little crease lines formed at the corners of his eyes.

"I remembered reading a blurb in the newspaper article about the victim possibly having a boyfriend, but they never were able to pinpoint who that was. I think Ben was the boyfriend, somehow Brittany found out, and is using it against him. I think she's threatening to tell the Sheriff West that Ben and the victim were involved."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Ranger queried, his blank face back in force.

"I saw a photo of Ben and the victim hugging each other hanging up at Carol's office, when I was waiting for Bear to show up to process the scene of the rose and bloody towel. It wasn't a 'hey, were platonic friends' kind of hug. It was a 'hey, I really love you' kind of hug. They were leaning their heads into each other like they trusted each other completely. Plus their fingers were intertwined."

"Shit! Hal, go get Booth. He needs to be here for this." Ranger ordered.

"Sir." Hal raced out of the room returning a few moments later with Booth and Dr. Brennan in tow.

Booth apologized at Dr. Brennan's attendance. "I'm sorry. She refused to be left behind."

"It's alright Booth." I placated him.

In a matter of a few minutes, I rehashed what I had told the boys as Booth listened intently. "The crap's about to hit the fan." He sighed after I had finished talking.

"So how is this going to go down?" I asked quietly. "I think Ben will comply if I ask him to. I'm pretty sure, he was only following her orders. He's had enough death and destruction in his life."

"Bomber. I think you better have back up when it comes to Ben. He may not want to admit his role in this fiasco." Cal warned. I nodded slowly, getting the boys to understand that I understood and agreed with what Cal was implying. You never go into a situation that you can't get yourself out of. Besides, having back up is standard procedure.

"Angel. I think you and I better do it and quickly." Evan toyed with my fingers as he spoke.

"Someone better pull Carol aside talk to her, during the take down. It's hard enough with Ben being involved, but to think that your only son is possibly involved in the murder of an innocent girl, that will break her heart. Besides, I'd like to get this done before the guests arrive."

"Yes, Ma'am." Cal and Hal stood up ready to follow as needed.

"So what about Bear?" I asked. "How are we going to get him?"

"He failed to show up at the rehearsal last night, and failed to show this morning at the meeting. I think he's gone rogue." Tank stated in a very somber tone. "The Sheriff stated that he hadn't been able to locate nor contact Bear for the last 36 hours. He's stated that unfortunately they could not locate Smoltz anywhere. Sheriff West is lending us another deputy in his place."

"Regardless of who the Sheriff is lending us, we need to be on our toes. Babe, Smoltz won't have a snowballs chance in hell getting to you." He turned to face his men, "The snipers will have to be our first line of defense. Secondary will be a ring of guards surrounding the barn. Third will be men stationed inside the barn, and lastly will be the core team. I want no chances taken. Sure shots only. DO NOT let him make it into the barn." Ranger ordered with a stoney face.

"I want you all to get your shit together and get the men informed of the situation. I need to finish getting ready. Evan, I'll be down in a few minutes so we can talk to Ben." Evan nodded and ushered the men out of the room so I could finish dressing.

Les remained behind to help me, handing me my 4 inch crystal encrusted ivory FMP's, he slumped down onto the couch. "You almost ready?"

"Yeah. I just need to touch up my makeup real quick and finish getting together a few things. He nodded and flipped the TV on catching the beginning of an old 80's rerun.

Stepping into the bathroom, I closed the door behind me, sucking in a slow breath to calm me, I heard the man before I saw him. A deep growl, almost barbaric, emanated from behind the shower curtain. An arm snaked out grabbing me by the wrist, twisting it slightly before he slipped out from behind the plastic shield he used to disguise his identity.

"Bear?" I hissed. "You're as good as dead."

"Nope. You are. No one knows I'm here. I switched clothing with one of those idiots I caught off guard in the far pasture. I just waltzed right in and no one was the wiser." I glanced down at his body to discover that, he indeed was wearing a Rangeman uniform and a matching ball cap. He sneered before continuing. "So what to do with you now?"

"What? Brittany didn't tell you what to do with me once you got me?" I had to bait him, hoping he'd slip up and we'd be found out. I hoped and prayed Les didn't get too into the TV show to realize I was taking far too long.

"Bitch!" He backhanded me violently, causing my vision to blur momentarily and tears to begin to flow. "You'll die just like the other one did."

"Other one? Who?" I asked, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth,

"The senator's daughter. She met me outside of town to file a report of harassment against Brittany. Only, I had something else for her." Bear raised his side arm showing me what he meant. "A few shots to the back of her head as she ran. Yeah, she deserved it. Thinking she was better than everyone else. Bitch turned me down. I mean, I'm a prize compared to that bumbling idiot she was hooked up with at the time."

"Ben?" I asked, trying to stall for time.

"Yeah. That shit-for-brains had no idea what was going to happen to his little precious princess. I fucked her after she died, still felt all tight and everything." His face formed into a frightful combination of lust and rage. "I bet you'll feel just the same." I tried to pull my arm free, tugging desperately, but to no avail. He was far too strong.

"You're sick. You need help. Bear, I can help you. Just let me go and I can help you."

"The only help you'll be giving me, is helping me get my rock off, Bitch."

**A/N: Holy crap! Are you on the edges of your seats yet? I am. Is Bear Smoltz a sicko or what? SO, did you all guess correctly as to who the stalkers were? Did you only guess there was one? He he he! I'm such a stinker sometimes. I've had so many people guessing in the wrong direction, I figured my excess clues were enough to distract from the true stalkers. Well, stay tuned. I'm going to try to post another chapter before this week is up. Don't forget to read and review please! I'm such a whore for reviews, they make me all happy and squishy inside. PLEASE! Yeah, I did just beg. LOL**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I profit from Stephanie and friends or Booth and Brennan and friends.**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, but with RL being the bitch that it is, I had to wait. I know it's a short chapter, but I promise that the next few will be longer.**

Attempting to calm myself, I found myself breathing slower and my eyes began to focus on my peripheral vision. Taking inventory of what I could use as a weapon, I was trying to decide between the still hot curling iron and the small nail file, when my gaze settled on the heavy leaded glass vase holding a bouquet of dried roses. I leaned back against the counter, the vase to my back, allowing him to continue his rant.

"... and they'll never find your body down the old mine shaft. I should have dropped that first bitch down there." His sinister sneer had me quaking in my shoes, my chest blotchy and flushed from my blood racing through my veins. "You ready for a real man?" Bear asked with a growl, grabbing his crotch in a lewd manner.

"You could never compare to Evan. You're not even half the man he is." I hissed, eyes narrowed, hoping he'd get pissed and make a mistake. I was waiting, biding my time, for my opportunity to strike back.

Enraged, he dropped my arm in attempt to grab my throat, intending on choking me. At the very second he dropped my arm, I brought my knee up, connecting with his family jewels, and reached behind me for the vase. Heaving it high above my head as Bear doubled over, I brought the vase down upon the crown of his head as hard as I could. The shattering of glass prompted Les to come crashing through the door, startled to find Bear unconscious and bleeding profusely on the floor.

"Beautiful! Are you okay?" He ran back into the room, only to return in a matter of seconds, snapping a pair of handcuffs on the still unconscious Bear.

"Yeah. I'm good." I stated in a shaky voice, my hands began to shake as much as my voice had. He stood and wrapped his arms around me, engulfing me in much needed warmth and safety. Realizing I wasn't as strong as I thought, I amended my answer. "No. I need Evan."

Les led me out of the bathroom and out into the hall. "Scratch! Man, we need help! Get Ram, NOW!" Les's authoritative tone, snapped Scratch into action. He and Kelly raced down that stairs as if the hounds of hell were after them. My mother and Momma came racing up the stairs.

"Darlin'?" Momma took one look at me and knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Bear... bathroom... cuffed." I managed to whisper, due to my intense shaking. Both Momma and my mother wrapped themselves around me, giving me their strength.

Twenty seconds later the thunderous sound of men shouting and footfalls alerted me to Evan and the boys. The second his head appeared above the top of the stairs I launched myself out of the warm motherly cocoon and into his arms. "Evan!"

He gripped my tightly as his head whipped around to Les. "What the hell?"

"Smoltz made it past security and managed to get into the bathroom through the bathroom window. She managed to subdue him. Smashed a vase over his head knocking his ass out. He's cuffed in the bathroom." Les jerked his thumb toward the room.

Ranger's growl matched Evan's in intensity, making me cringe in fear. "Get him out of there. Call West and get him to pick him up." Hal and Cal strode past us and into the room.

A second later, a loud curse came from Hal, "FUCK! He's gone!"

With Ranger leading the way, we ran into the bathroom to find Bear gone, only a trail of blood leading to the still open bathroom window. "Fuck! Santos, why didn't you secure him?" Ranger grabbed Les by the throat and slammed him up against the wall so hard pictures were knocked off the entire wall from the impact.

Lester's fist connected with Ranger's gut, lessening the grip Ranger had on his neck. "He was unconscious and cuffed. I needed to get Steph out of there!"

Ranger's grip released, allowing Les's feet to slide back to the floor. "FUCK!" He ran a hand through his now disheveled hair, "Find him now!" The men scrambled out of the room, leaving me slumped in Evan's arms.

"Angel? Are you okay? What happened?" Evan raised my face with his crooked knuckle, my eyes meeting his.

Feeling my shakes ebb away while in his strong embrace, I cleared my throat before I spoke, "I was finishing getting ready and Bear was hiding in the shower. He climbed in through the window and grabbed me. He said he killed that girl... he raped her after he killed her." I burrowed my face into his shoulder, "He was going to kill me too after raping me. Then he hit me." With those words, Evan began to stiffen. Unaware of my actions, my hand went to my cheek and mouth where he had back handed me. I placed my hand on his heart, feeling it's quick pace. "I pissed him off by telling him you were more of a man than he was and he went to choke me. I kneed him and then hit him over the head with your Momma's vase. He passed out and Les came in, found us and then cuffed him."

Evan tilted my head to the side so he could get a better look at my cheek and mouth. "Do you want Bobby to look at it?" He winced as his gaze landed on the skin that began to bruise around the corner of my mouth.

"I'll be okay. Nothing a little make up can't fix."

"Angel. I've got to go. I need to find the Bastard." I allowed Evan to slip from my grasp, as he planted a kiss to the top of my head. "Stay with Hector." I nodded and watched as Hector silently slipped into the room.

"Be careful." I whispered as he strode out of the room, hell bent on finding Bear before anyone else did.

Before I could turn to grab my make up bag from the bed, a child's piercing scream filled the air. "Mary Alice!" I raced down the stairs, with Hector hot on my heels. Skidding to a stop st the top of the porch stairs, I watched as Bear had MA in a headlock dragging her to the closest SUV.

"Come any closer and she dies!" He hissed, tightening his grip. MA's eyes were wide open, pleading for someone to save her, as she sobbed. Bear, managed to get the door to the SUV open and was trying to shove MA into the driver's seat. All the while every Rangeman had a weapon trained on his head.

"Stop, Smoltz. Or you die." Ranger ground out in a steely calm voice.

"No you stop. Drop your weapons, or she dies." Smoltz choked MA causing her cries to stop and her eyes to dim slightly.

"STOP!" I shouted running to stand next to Ranger and Evan, my own weapon, pulled from it's thigh holster, trained on Bear's forehead. "You let her go, you sick son-of-a-bitch!" His grip on MA loosened slightly, allowing her to breathe. Muffled cries from my sister were silenced by one of my boys, as he held her back in the house.

"Or what? You'll shoot at me? Been there done that. It was a lucky you managed to get close to my car."

"You won't be so lucky this time." I retorted in my own version of my don't-fuck-with-me tone. "I will kill you. Let her go."

His malicious laughter filled the yard, echoing off the barns and house. "You?" He glanced around and spat on the ground. "You wouldn't be able to catch me once I leave here. I'll be like the wind, gone in a second."

"You forget, I was trained by the best." I allowed him to sweep his gaze around, allowing him to realize he was surrounded by men in black.

"I'm leaving and no one is going to stop me, or I will kill this little angel." Smoltz shoved MA into the SUV, she scrambled out of his reach and into the passenger seat. His gun trained on her, as he started the engine. "Say good bye, little angel." MA's head popped up from behind the seat and I nearly cried as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"NO! AUNTIE STEPHY, HELP ME!"

Screaming at the top of my lungs, all the men surrounding me turned to look. "MA GET OUT!" In a flash, the passenger door flew open and MA rolled out of the truck, away from danger. Smoltz hit the gas, realizing his hostage was gone, and with it all security that came with it. One of the closer Merry Men scooped her up and raced back towards safety.

At that very moment in time, something in me snapped and I raced back into the house with Hector hot on my heels. I slid to a stop on the floor of the gun room, shoving aside the throw rug on the floor covering the floor gun safe. With trembling hands, I worked the dial to the combination I had stored away in my brain. As soon as the door popped, Hector hauled it open and grabbed a box of ammo, dumping it onto the floor, I snatched out Evan's rifle and chambered three rounds. We jumped to our feet and tore out of the room headed to the front yard, only to see the SUV begin to pull away.

Evan was scrambling with the guys to go after the SUV but I managed to have my voice heard above the shouting of the men in black as they organized a chase. "EVAN!" His eyes sighted Hector and I standing there on the porch, he hightailed it to us, hands outstretched. I laid the rifle in his capable hands as hector shoved the rounds he had grabbed into the pocket of Evan's suit pants. Finding our position on the porch unsuitable for a clean shot due to bales of hay stacked along the road, Evan dashed away from us to find a better vantage spot.

"RAM!" Ranger's voice boomed across the yard as he noticed him running to the barn.

"He's mine!" Evan shouted and began to climb the ladder leaning against the large barn. Ranger held his fist up effectively telling the other snipers that Evan was taking the shot.

Reaching the eve of the roof, Evan climbed to the peak next to where Killer was glassing the SUV from his assigned position. He sighed deeply, trying to calm his breathing, before he sighted the SUV in his newly repaired scope. Just as Evan fired his shot, his dress shoes lost traction on the slick metal roof and his feet slid out from underneath him, sending the shot far from it's intended target. I screamed as I watched him begin to slide towards the edge, clawing at anything to stop his momentum from throwing him off the roof to a 50 foot fall. Hector's arms wrapped around me as I fell apart, turning my head away from the possible sight of the love of my life plunging to his death. My legs now unable to hold my weight, failed me, and the both of us sank to the wooden floor of the porch. My adrenaline had faded, leaving me spent and shaking much like after most of my distractions for Rangeman had. Hector's calm, soothing voice spoke to me in Spanish, lulling me into a sense of relaxation, oblivious to the chaos around me.

As he slid closer and closer to the edge, he managed to twist his body around and planted his feet into a slightly raised edge of one of the metal panels. He stopped his downward slide with less than two feet from the edge, all who managed to watch, sighed in quick but temporary relief. Even with my head buried in Hector's shoulder, I could hear Evan curse, "Fuck!" He scrambled back up to the ridge of the roof and laid himself into a prone position, so as to not allow him to slide once again, but also to help compensate for his rapid breathing from his near death experience.

Knowing Smoltz was over 1500 yards away, he compensated using his scope. Evan began to mutter under his breath, "Come on Fucker. Just a little more to the right. That's it." And with a controlled squeeze of the trigger, Evan sent his second shot towards the SUV. At that very second two things happened, Ranger yelled for the guys to load up to chase the SUV, while the round Evan fired, made contact with the front tire of the SUV causing the tire to explode. Smoltz's SUV fishtailed before flipping over, rolling and sliding to a stop on it's roof. Tank, Hal, Cal, Bobby, Manny and Lester were clinging to the luggage rack of one of the remaining SUV's while standing on the running boards as Ranger tore out of the yard.

Intercepting Bear, weapons drawn, Ranger and the guys managed to corral Bear and get him cuffed before he could escape very far from the totaled SUV. They loaded Bear into the back of Ranger's SUV, Bobby attending to a bleeding Bear, before returning to the yard.

Hector had calmed me enough that I raised my head up to glance at those still in the yard, but my sight still trying to return to normal from it's tunnel vision. As I turned my head a familiar person entered my field of vision. Evan!

Evan watched me being held in Hector's protective arms, his rifle still held in his right hand. He sighed a deep sigh of relief. It was over. He had eliminated the threat to his woman he loved, to the family they were building, the life they were destined to live together. Evan's eyes met mine, the surrounding chaos melted away, as our love for each other was the only thing that existed for us at that moment in time. I slid out of Hector's arms, raised myself to my feet and slowly walked towards Evan's outstretched arms. As his warm muscular arms enveloped me, we realized that finally our joint life together could truly begin. We caressed each others faces, looking deeply into each others eyes, "I love you Angel."

"I love you Baby." Our lips met, telegraphing our feeling of love and hope for our future. For us, the wedding would be nothing but a formality, because at that moment, right there, with all the riot and action around us, we sealed our battle tested love with a kiss.

**A/N: I want to thank a very special someone who has helped me through this chapter. I had encountered a tough decision as to what direction I wanted this chapter to go, and after writing and rewriting several different versions, I gave in and asked my favorite FF buddy MyMerryMen what I should do. Thankfully she answered my email within a few hours and I had a direction I loved so much more than what I had envisioned. Yvonne, YOU ROCK GIRL! You helped me out of the corner I had backed myself into and helped me pull my head out of my ass and got me back to writing with minimal collateral damage. LOL. Don't forget my promise to you. So stay tuned!**

**Please read and review, cuz' I honestly check my reviews every hour or so, even if I'm at work. Internet access on my phone makes me a very happy girl, but also a very review-obsessed sicko. So please leave a review, they make me smile and I like to smile : ) **


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from the Stephanie Plum series nor from the TV show BONES. Damn it!**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter, but RL kinda got in the way. Between work, my two kids starting school and the endless housework, 24 hours never seemed to be enough. I've managed to get a few days off and can finally set myself down at the computer. Hope you like the chapter.**

****** TISSUE WARNING**** (I usually cry at weddings and figured many of you all do too. So don't say I didn't warn you!)**

The sound of the music faded into the background, as well as the oh's and ah's from our guests. My total focus was not on the people that surrounded us, nor on my father as he guided me down the petal strewn aisle. No, my focus was solely on the man standing before me, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Only a short time ago, I had faced death once again and won, thanks to my Rangeman family and the love of my life, Evan.

I slowly blinked, praying that the vision before me wasn't a dream. Upon opening them, a slow smile spread seeing that Evan had plastered a wide grin on his face. My father and I stopped in front of Evan, as the music died and Father Timothy began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God to join these two loving souls to join them in the most holiest of bonds. Holy Matrimony. For in the eyes of God, there is no greater bond than that of love. These two souls, have surrendered themselves to the master plan from God Almighty."

"Love means many different things to those who seek it. For some it means being enveloped in a warm embrace, to others it means that they have someone to rely on in times of need. For many it means to give of yourself freely, not asking or expecting anything in return. But for all, it means to merge your soul with another, making your incomplete life... whole."

"Evan and Stephanie originally wanted a traditional Catholic service, and I was more than happy to abide by their wishes. But after a last minute decision, they both agreed to change from their original idea to one that seemed to fit them the most. We all have been asked to participate in the joining of these two, for they see you not as just friends and family, but they see you all as one giant family. Their family. So, at this time, I ask, who gives this woman to this man?" I turned my head expectantly to my right, looking at my father. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo, his facial features even more pronounced, more handsome.

Before I could blink, the entire congregation of guests behind us answered in unison, "We do." I turned and grinned, noticing that every person in the barn was on their feet, grinning like damn fools. Even my mother. My daddy leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to my cheek, whispering into my ear, "I love you Pumpkin. Let him make you happy again." I nodded, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. Daddy gently placed my tiny hand into Evan's large outstretched one. I sighed with contentment and slipped forward next to Evan, blushing. He leaned down and placed a similar kiss to my daddy's on the opposite cheek, mouthing the words, I love you, as he pulled back. A warm and delicious feeling crept outward from my chest stealing my breath momentarily.

Father Timothy cleared his throat, "As this time, I ask that the parents of both Evan and Stephanie come forward. The Bride and Groom have asked each father to say a few words." Both sets of parents made their way to the front, Momma and Pop next to Evan and my mother and daddy next to me. Father Timothy turned to Pop, "Mr. Ramsey." Pop nodded and turned to face the guests.

"Raising Evan from a crying babe in my wife's arms to the man that stands before us was a blessing. From an early age, Evan lived his life the best he saw fit, even to the dismay of his Momma and I a few times. But we had nothing to fear, for his strength of character, of body and of mind were of great joy to his Momma and I. We raised him the best we knew how. To honor one's word, respect his elders, to protect those who can not protect themselves, to show compassion to those who need it, find the strength to fight for what is right, and to love with his whole heart. The Army taught Evan to use those skills to protect and serve his country. When Evan was hired by Carlos at Rangeman, we knew it would be a good fit for his character and his skills. He seemed happy and sure that his life would be one of his choosing. But life appeared lonely for Evan, and his mother and I feared that something was sorely lacking. He needed a woman's touch on his life as a whole. That was until the first time he came home and began to regale us with stories of Stephanie. It was then that I began to wonder if my son had fallen in love. Over the years, we heard more and more, and witnessed the love he has for her grow and grow. Evan had grown from a love sick fool, to a man deeply in love with his soul mate."

"The day I married my wife, Bunny, was the happiest day of my life. Then the days my sons were born, those were the happiest days of my life. And now, today, with Evan marrying Stephanie. Today is the happiest day of my life. And when my other two sons get married those will be the happiest days of my life." Pop paused, took a deep breath and released it slowly before continuing. "To be blessed with so many happy days in one lifetime, is not just a blessing, but a gift from God. After seeing with my own two eyes the compassion, understanding, fierce loyalty, passion and unbridled love these two share, I can honestly say, without a doubt, that these two will share more than happy days. They will share a life, a home, a family and a love no one can touch in a thousand lifetimes." Momma wiped away an errant tear as Pop stepped back allowing my father to have his say.

Father Timothy smiled warmly, "I couldn't have said it any better myself." He turned to my father, "Mr. Plum."

Clearing his throat, my daddy moved forward and began. "Witnessing a falling star fall from the heavens is a rare sight indeed. Wishing upon such a star for love, only to have your dream come true, even rarer. But to find a falling star, wish upon it and find your one true love, that my friends, is once in a lifetime. To see the connection, the bond, that these two youngsters have, it makes any cynic believe in true love, and reminds the rest of us, of it's power. Love, as they say in fairy tales, can conquer all. With all these two have endured thus far and all that they will encounter in the future, nothing will stop their love. It is the power of their love that will sustain them through their life with their family. I pray, that my granddaughters and future grandchildren gaze up into the night sky and wish for their one true love. So I may tell them when they get older about wishes that do come true. They do. They surely do. Look at Stephanie and Evan."

"Raising Stephanie was never an easy task." A few chuckles emitted from loved ones seated before us. "She is stubborn, obstinate, driven and pigheaded. But she is also, loving, caring, compassionate, passionate and loyal. From what I have witnessed from Evan, he compliments her. For he too, is her equal in all her traits. But he is more than that. He is her protector, her confidant, her solace and her strength. He has made my daughter a better woman. And for that, her mother and I are eternally grateful. My Pumpkin was never one to follow the crowd, despite those who wished she would have. She blazed her own trail, forged her own path and made her own way. She has carved out her own unconventional life, chosen an unconventional career, with an unconventional group of people. Unconventional to those who don't really know my Pumpkin. But to those of us who do know her, she is living life on her own terms and in the only way she's sees fit. If that means she will buck the social norms and do her own thing, then so be it. But, I know without a doubt, that she will never do it alone. With Evan at her side, Stephanie is unstoppable. _They are unstoppable_."

My mother dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, and gave me a weak smile. I turned my head slightly to see Evan watching his parents in much the same way. I squeezed his hand gently and watched him wink at me, mischief on his mind.

"I ask that those of you gathered here with us today, join us in reciting the oath."

"We, your family and friends, will nurture and tend to your love. We will lead by example and follow in your footsteps. We will protect you as we would our own child. We will never leave your side if the good fight needs to be fought. And we will love you for the individuals that you are, but more for the soul mates that you have become. On this we swear." I nodded to Carlos who watched us fondly from his place next to a grinning Tank. They both winked and I almost missed it. Suppressing a giggle I turned to face Evan once more. His eyes roved my face, his love for me, open to all in attendance.

"Stephanie. Evan. Please recite the vows you both have written together." Father Timothy stepped back to allow us our time.

After Cal handed Evan the ring from his jacket pocket, he began to recite our vows. "Stephanie, I take you to be my soul mate, my love and my life. I will hold your hand in times that are tough. I will soothe your wounds when you are injured. I will fend off any foe who intends to harm you. I offer you my heart and my soul for eternity. You are the air that I breathe. You are the solace in my crazy life. I wish to only see your face as I fall asleep at night and again as I awake in the morning. You are not just my life... you are my everything." He slid the thin metal band onto the ring finger of my left hand

Les handed me Evan's ring, winking at me and grinning his famous lopsided grin in the process. "Evan, I take you to be my soul mate, my love and my life. I will hold your hand in times that are tough. I will soothe your wounds when you are injured. I will fend off any foe who intends to harm you. I offer you my heart and my soul for eternity. You are the air that I breathe. You are the solace in my crazy life. I wish to only see your face as I fall asleep at night and again as I awake in the morning. You are not just my life... you are my everything." I slid the slightly ticker band of metal onto the ring finger of his left hand.

"By the power vested in me by the State of Montana, by the County of Broadius and by the Lord All Mighty, I now pronounce you... Man and Wife. Evan, you may now kiss your bride."

Evan grinned and replied, "Gladly." As if in a dream, his arms snaked around me and drew himself close. My breathing hitched, all spoken words caught in my throat at that moment. With a sly, sexy grin, Evan whispered, "Mrs. Ramsey."

I managed to find my voice and in response I whispered, "Mr. Ramsey."

Unable to stop even if I had wanted, our faces drew to one another as if some unseen magnetic force has pulled them together. A slight pause elicited a soft moan from my lips before they touched his. Evans lips caressed mine so delicately that I was almost convinced that they could have been made of angel wings. They brushed over mine so slowly and sensually, I groaned in ecstasy. Unable to resist, I leaned in and planted my lips firmly onto his, gliding my tongue along the bottom lip of his, asking for entrance. He parted his lips and plundered my mouth, our tongues dancing to their own song. I felt as if I could melt from the heat generated from the two of us and we only parted a few moments later when we both were starved for oxygen.

A loud roar erupted from our guests, clapping and cheering filled the barn, wrapping us in it's warm embrace. With a giggle, I gently wiped away a small smear of lipstick on Evans lip before we turned to face our friends and family.

"Family and friends... I give you... Mr. and Mrs. Evan Ramsey." The sounds of my boys cheering drowned out all other voices and even with as many people in attendance, I could still make out several of my favorite Merry Men voices. Tank's deep bass, Carlos' rich baritone, the distinct pitch of Bobby's voice, Cal's robust timbre, Hal's high pitched whistle as well as Lester's infectious laughter.

Evan and I made our way back down the aisle with our bridal party following. I was ready to party!

Taking my hand in his, Evan whisked us away to the house for a few moments for ourselves, as our wedding party stood guard outside. "Angel?"

"Hmm?" I replied, eyes closed, back against the rough wood of the front door. I felt his massively strong arms wrap around me, and his soft lips brush against mine.

"Are you really mine?" His voice was breathy as I had ever heard it before. "Are you really my wife?"

My crystal blue eyes opened to look deeply into his forest green ones and I smiled. "Yeah. I'm all yours."

"Good." His kiss sent shivers down my spine, making my legs feel like liquid, making me grip his arms to stay upright. My moan mingled with his until we pulled apart at the clearing of a man's throat behind us. I peeked around Evan's shoulder and grinned to find Carlos standing in the doorway to the kitchen waiting to speak with us.

Carlos' eyes sparkled and I could tell he was more than happy for us. "Babe. Ram. It's time. They're ready for you at the reception." I nodded and checked my makeup in the hall mirror, before taking Evan's hand.

We watched as Les and Cal strode into the party to the music of _Were Men in Tights_, from the movie Robin Hood Men in Tights .Carlos, Tank, Connie and Lula walked in to the sounds of _I'm Sexy and I know it _ by LMFAO. Walking into the barn to the sound of our friends and family singing along to the sound _Another One Bites the Dust_ by Queen make us both grin. It wasn't what I had envisioned for us, but I knew that the boys would end up changing the music for which we entered by, so I really wasn't all that mad. In fact, I thought it was pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. It was one of the little ways they liked to show me how much they care for me.

We danced, dined and listened to the speeches from our wedding party members, only to find ourselves left with the cake cutting ceremony. Connie and my mother ushered us over to the cake tables, as our guests looked on. "Baby. I have a surprise for you." I moved aside motioning to Evan's Groom's cake behind me. "I hope you like it. " The lopsided grin on his face told me all that I needed to know. His long index finger took a long swipe at the frosting on the side of the cake. Putting it to his mouth, he moaned and the men surrounding us chuckled.

"Damn. He's starting to sound just like Bomber." Hal joked, bumping Cal with his shoulder.

"Angel. How'd you know?" Evan asked, taking in his personalized Superman Grooms cake.

"I'm not as ditzy as I seem most of the time." I teased, gripping his arm as I planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"I love the figurines. Although I think Hal, Cal and Les may want theirs." He playfully tugged at the end of the ribbon twined into my hair. "I love the ribbon, too. Special made?"

I giggled and nodded, my eyes never leaving his. "Yeah. If you look closely, they match the bombs the guys had tattooed."

"Cute."

"Enough of this chit-chat!" Momma chided. "Let's get to the cake, so you all can cut a rug."

We laughed together before answering in unison. "Yes, Momma."

Using the special knife I had Sissy order, Evan and I cut the cake to the sound of plenty of aw's by the girls in attendance, as well as the sound of Manny taking more Lula's adamant demands that we smash cake into each others face, I had put my foot down long before we even had decided on a flavor of cake, do smashing of cake. Period. I didn't want to ruin my makeup nor my dress. Thankfully, Evan agreed. He deemed it childish. I held out a small piece for Evan, careful not to select a piece that was covered too much by frosting. His tongue delicately swiped it from my fingers, leaving a hot trail of fire where his tongue had been on my fingertips. Evan on the other hand, had selected quite a large piece, including a extra dollop of frosting. He waggled his eyebrows and teased me, "Angel. I know it isn't birthday cake, but it'll have to do." I managed to inhale not only the large chunk of cake and frosting in one fell swoop, but I managed to suck the frosting off of his fingers in as a sultry manner as I could muster. His low and throaty growl was my only response. I giggled and landed a quick peck onto his lips before I turned to my mother.

"It's all yours, Mom. Make sure you and Momma save me a good sized piece, please."

"I'll be sure to save you both a huge piece, if you both go and save Carlos and Tank from you Grandmother. I swear that woman will put my into an early grave." She turned shaking her head to begin to cut the cake.

Evan and I wandered over to the bar where he handed me a ginger ale and he procured himself a beer. Les and Bobby strolled up to us sandwiching a gorgeous brunette between them. Les held up three fingers and was quickly given three glasses of white wine. "Hey, Les. Bobby. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Evan asked, eying the woman who had so obviously snagged the attention of both men.

Before they could open their mouths, I made the introductions. "Baby... I'd like for you to meet my best-y cyber-friend Yvonne. We met a while back and we've become super friends. She's been visiting the US on vacation and was gracious enough to be able to make it tonight."

"Ma'am." Evan tilted his head slightly, as he grinned widely.

In a beautiful German accent, Yvonne gushed, "Oh, Stephanie. Your wedding was so beautiful. I'm so glad we could finally meet in person, it's been so long since we've talked. We have to sit down and have a gab-fest for a while." She turned to Les and Bobby, "Boys, would you mind keeping Ram busy for a little while until I return?"

Both Bobby and Les looked love struck and nodded like fools. Yvonne and I slipped away to an empty table and chatted for almost an hour before the guys caught up with us again.

"So that's when I stripped him naked, taped him to his chair and pushed it into the elevator that was headed for the Lobby." Yvonne's laughter filled the space between us as I giggled as well. It abruptly stopped as the men walked up to the table.

"Boys. Did you miss me?" She asked coyly through lowered lashes.

Using his sexy voice, Les responded, "Like crazy!"

"Every second of every minute." Bobby gushed. I rolled my eyes. Besides being my cyber sister, I knew there was I reason I liked her. This woman was a master at wrapping both Les and Bobby around her finger. Lucky Bitch!

We parted ways as both Bobby and Les began to nuzzle her neck from different sides. Evan chuckled and whispered into my ear. "I think Bobby and Les are going to get lucky tonight."

I struggled to hide my laughter, but it was difficult not to, in light of the fact that now both Bobby and Les were dancing with her sandwiched between them. Both the boys looked at her like how I look at chocolate cake, so I knew things could only get better from there. The only thing I could think of was NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY YVONNE!

The laughter and fun lasted well past midnight and as much as I hated for it to end, I soon found myself nodding off in Evans lap at our table. "Angel."

"Hmm?" I was more than happy snuggling into Evan's well muscled chest. He had removed his suit jacket, loosened his tie and opened the top two buttons on his shirt, so the fact that his one of a kind scent was wafting up my nose, made me even more comfortable.

"Angel. I think we better get you to bed. You're exhausted." He gently stood on his feet with me carefully cradled in his arms. The rhythmic sound of Evans footsteps in the quiet night air quickly put me back to sleep.

"She out?" Tank and Carlos asked as they passed Evan carrying me to the house.

"Yeah. She's done. I'm gonna turn in too." Evan sighed, before continuing, "Look, I wanted to say thanks for everything. When we mean you guys are family, we mean it. You guys mean everything to Angel and I'm not ashamed to say the same goes for me."

"Just make sure you take care of our Babygirl." Tank warned quietly as he gently patted Evan's arm. "She's our future."

Just before Evan carried me to our bed, Carlos dropped a swift kiss to the top of my head before whispering into my ear, "Mi corazon siempre, Babe."

**PLEASE REVIEW! We only have one more chapter after this one, so please make my day and review!**

**A/N: Alright, I think that I'm going to do one more chapter, probably an epilogue. I know that I'm at the end of this story, but I think I still need to wrap up a few loose ends until I can continue with the third story in the series. It will continue the story of Steph's pregnancy, Peanut's birth, Evan's deployment to who-knows-where and the complications that Steph calls everyday life. But, before I do continue the Comfort series, I plan on finishing The Rain Hid My Tears as well as post the first FF piece I had ever written. I had it tucked away on a small flash drive stashed in the top drawer of my dresser for safe keeping, mostly because my husband likes to delete things from our computer that he doesn't find "essential". Once I double check for errors, which I'm saying there will more than likely still be a few, (just 'cuz I like keeping you on your toes) I'll try to post a chapter everyday or at least a few in a row if I know I'm going to miss a few days. I hope it's something you'll check out once I start to post.**

**-Tiff**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36:**

**Epilogue**

**I do not own nor do I profit from this work. Everything recognisable belongs to JE, I'm just playing with her kiddos for a while.**

**EPOV**

Never in my life, did I ever think my life would move in the direction it has. I was now married to the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, I was an expectant father, had a wonderful extended family and an awesome career. And to think, it was only a few years ago that my life changed forever. I met and fell in love with Stephanie, my Angel. Our future together was bright, even though what life held for us was uncertain. The decisions we had to make regarding the end of my contract, were worrying me, to a degree.

A small, soft sigh, brought me out of my musings. Without even thinking about it, my finger gently traced down her jaw, settling her with a simple touch. It was almost unbelieveable that I had such a loving, caring and passionate person as my soulmate. To think that she was now carrying our child, our baby in her belly, made my heart swell with pride and love. I could only imagine what our Peanut would look like, be like, sound like. Hopefully Peanut would take after Angel, having her bright blue eyes and her perfect curly hair.

A faint know on the door pulled me away from my love and I made my way across the carpet soundlessly. The door closed behind me with a quiet 'snick' as I greeted my visitor. "What's up?" I whispered, trying to keep the noise to a minimum.

"Dude, we have a problem. The Generall's office just called back. They want you on the phone now."

"What the fuck?" Pissed, could not even begin to describe how I felt at the moment. What in Sam Hill, were they thinking? He passed me the handset and I frowned at it for half a second before answering. "Ramsey."

After I hit the end button, I was sick to my stomach. Just plain old fashioned sick to my stomach. Knowing that I had to tell my brand new bride that I was not going to finish out my contract out of country, was killing me. The General informed me in no uncertain terms that the mission plan had been changed and I was now going to be stationed here in CONTUS trying to surveil and possibly take out a splinter cell from ISIS. My whole body shuddered, knowing how voilently Angel reacted to the different options from before. If she said it hurt, I was absolutely certain it was going to be bad. Now, how in Hades do I tell her I ship out not on November 1st like originally planned, but in less than 48 hours?

"Evan?" My Angel's soft voice, still thick with sleep, cut through my thoughts. "Everything alright? Who was on the phone?"

Trying to deflect her questions, I asked her a few of my own. "Why are awake?" I asked, kissing her nose gently. "Go change into your pj's and I'll be in to snuggle with you in a few minutes. I just need to check in with Ranger. Okay?" She nodded, still more asleep than awake and returned back into our room.

The two minutes it took me to walk out of the house and to the bunk house provided me enough time to come up with a plan to take care of Angel while I was gone for the estimated six weeks the mission plan called for. Bones sat on the doorstoop, stripping and cleaning his field weapon as I strode over. "Ranger inside?" A small almost imperceptable nod was all I needed to know. He seemed to sense something was wrong and cleared the doorway without a sound.

""Ram?" Ranger looked up from the stack of papers he was currently flipping through, Tank at his side, as always.

"General called. Mission changed. It's not good." I chewed my bottom lip in frustration, a little habit I had picked up from my Angel.

"What does Babe say about it?" He asked, eyebrow raised, waiting for my answer.

"She doesn't know yet." I sighed, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands. "I just got off the phone with the General. Six weeks with a 38% estimated mortality rate."

"You better tell her, Ram. Babygirl will worry her pretty little head off if you tell her last minute. She needs you to reassure her. When do you leave?"

After glancing at my watch, I cringed knowing my time was slowly ticking away. "47 hours 42 minutes."

"Get you ass in there and tell her now. I don't care if you wake the entire house. Get in there and tell Bomber." Bobby ordered me, pointing his finger in the general vicinity of the house.

Turning to Lester I indicated for him to join me with a subtle head nod, he acquiesed, falling in behind me as I left the bunkhouse. "She's going to flip, you know that, right?"

"Yeah." The long sufferable sigh that escaped my lips sounded ominous, even to me.

**LPOV**

Let's just say, that telling Beautiful the bad news about Ram's deployment did not go over well. It took three guys to hold her down while Bobby sedated her with a pregnancy approved sedative. Her heartwrenching screams and agonising cries pierced the air, giving the men chills. It sounded almost as if she were being told that she was now a widow. I guess in her eyes, she very well may be. As she nodded off under the calming powers of the sedative, she rambled on and on about how bad her neck hurt and her spidey sense was off the charts. It worried me to no end. I never want to see her in this amount of distress ever again in my life. We were all fearful about Peanut, Beautiful and her blood pressure. If she was this worried, I knew something was wrong. Something with Ram's mission.

I called my handler and inquired about the impending mission, but was told, I didn't hold a high enough clearance to access those files. With that little nugget of info, I pulled my cousin aside. "Ranger, they won't let me see the files. It's gotta be bad. Last time I got that answer, your mission was bungled and you ended up in China for over six months. What the fuck is going on this time?"

"I'll see what I can do. It does sound completely off." He whipped out his satalite phone and placed a call to Washington.

Ram and Beautiful have been holed up in their room since we sedated her yesterday, only opening the door for Bobby and for sustinece. He had less than 24 hours to go and it didn't look good for him. Ranger had contacted his handler and they managed to get a hold of the mission plan before the clearance level was upped again, making access to the file, now impossible. What they found in the report, made me blanch. Ram was supposed to observe and report on suspicious activities by a small group of muslim extremists that were a faction of ISIS. They were trying to manufacture some type of biological weapon along the lines of ebola, but were trying to plan an attack on a major US city that involved said type of biological weapon.

Once Ram is able to identify the plan and the key players, he has full authority to take out and eliminate the targets. Problem is, he is a huge white guy with blond hair and green eyes trying to fit into a very close knit, small population of brown haired, brown eyed persons who will see him as a threat and outsider from the moment they lay their eyes on him. Even if he did dye hir hair and wear contacts, he does not look like he is of middle eastern descent. On the contrary, he looks like the very people, the targets are hoping to kill. This plan was originally given a 38% failure rate/mortality rate, but since it had been updated recently, it was given a nearly 89% mortality rate. He's royally fucked!

Looking out the upstairs window in the hall, I watched the sun slowly creep over the top of the prairie, giving it an erie pinkish hue. Most of the men, including the core team stayed awake last night, unable to sleep, knowing the pain and torture Beautiful was enduring. Ranger had set up a flight for the core team and a small contingent of our regular staff to join us on a flight back to Trenton. Ram was due to leave for Washington this evening. After we get home, Ram and Beautiful would only have another few hours together before he has to leave. We wanted to ensure they had enough time together before that time came.

The mood around the house was somber. Melancholy really. No one spoke much, no one ate much either, even though Momma was cooking and baking up a storm. In all honesty, she used cooking and baking as a coping mechanism. Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Mazur were besides themselves, unsure of what they could do for Beautiful. In the end, they ended up taking some scrap rags Momma had set aside and began braiding them together so that Mrs. Mazur could stitch them into a rug by hand. Frank, Pops and the boys ended up quietly tuning up the tractors and cobine. It was nothing really but busy-work, it worked to keep their minds off of the upcoming events. All of Rangeman seemed to return to the days before Beautiful graced us with her presence. Quiet, efficient and boring.

We men, had the equipment packed and ready to load into the vehicles, in less than two hours. A few of the men, took it upon themselves to finish up any forgotten tasks from before the wedding. Chaz and Wingnut gave all the roofs of the buildings one last inspection, deeming them good for another five years or so. Hector and Spark upgraded Momma and Pops computer, making it almost as fast as the ones we used at the office. Tank's nimble fingers were able to knit a couple of pairs of baby booties in an extremely soft black yarn. They were adorned with little embroidered handcuffs in a thin silver yarn, making them gleam in the light. It was well known that Tank knitted, but honestly, who would tease him about it.

The sound of the door to the bedroom opening made me spin in place, staring in shock. There standing in her rangeman black with a badass look on her face was the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, Stephanie Ramsey. "Les, I'm going to need you through this." The slight shake in her voice belied her steady demeanor.

"I'm at your every beck and call, Beautiful." I lightly kissed her cheek, secretly enjoying the softness of her skin. "I'll help you through whatever you need."

Her curt nod with a stern look on her face, indicated she was trying to hold herself together, despite her true feelings on the subject. Ram appeared behind her right shoulder. "Are you ready for this Angel?" He looked as if he had made peace with the fact he was leaving his new bride behind.

"I have to be. I can't sit by and cry all day. I need to be out there doing what needs to be done and not moping around. The time for feeling sorry for myself is over. It's time to go to work. I have a husband to send off." She brushed past me headed for the stairs with a stunned Ram and I looking on.

Holy Shit!

**A/N: I know it's kind of a crappy place to stop, but if I go any further, I'm into the storyline for the next in series. I promise I will get that one up and running as soon as I get The Rain Hid My Tears finished, or at least part way done. **

**Yes, I know. It's been over two years since I have posted the last chapter in BSW. I take full responsibility for my lack of diligence. I know I let quite a few readers down with my absence. I do have a good reason though. Using a computer as a shot put is not something I would recommend to anyone, let alone tantrum prone husbands. Needless to say, I got my first broken computer back up and running just two days before my hubby (who is now in anger managment therapy) decided that the best way to get my attention was to hike my newly repaired computer across the room. Now, with that said, I finally have a working computer, even though it's a piece of crap. I'm still working on getting internet, our finances have been a bit tight lately and I just couldn't justify paying for internet when we so desperately needed food on our table. But now that I'm getting a promotion at work and moving up the ladder, I will now be able to get it soon. Yay! : ) **

**I thank you for your patience and your support. It's been a fun ride and I can't wait to see where Ram, Steph and the guys take us next.**

**-Tiff**


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